


Princess of Destiny

by HouseofSannae



Series: Kingdom Hearts Ψ [23]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Good luck getting Breakfast at Tiffany's out of your head, Road Trip, Ventus as a fourth wheel, it's been stuck in mine for months, plotted pre-Kingdom Hearts 3, written post-Kingdom Hearts 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-09-01 23:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20266243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseofSannae/pseuds/HouseofSannae
Summary: What exactly does it mean to be a Princess of Heart?This is the question that Kairi struggles with as she meets with the other princesses, looking for any clues of how to use her power to free Isa from Xehanort's clutches.Meanwhile, Terra faces struggles of his own. Xehanort may be gone from him, but darkness is never far away...





	1. Snow White

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As regards the "Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings" label: There is a sequence in this chapter and in the next that were intentionally written to bear similarities to bulimia. This is the warning.

Lea stared at the lines of Isa’s sleeping face. It was hard to believe that behind those familiar slopes and angles was a shard of Xehanort’s heart, holding his friend captive.

It had been three days since Terra’s return, and this was still the case.

Aqua, Ven, and Xion had dived back into their research, but had come up with nothing. Terra, unfortunately, had no new information to give them; though his perspective on the subject was certainly unique, what had happened to him – the complete overtaking of his body by Xehanort’s heart – was unlike what had happened to Isa – the overshadowing by a piece of Xehanort.

Lea sat in a chair beside Isa’s bed. After it had become apparent there wasn’t anything to be done for him, he’d been moved from the infirmary to his own room, opposite Lea’s. It was quiet, and peaceful, and sometimes Lea wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all.

He sighed. He wasn’t the only one who’d been keeping a vigil; Sora and Kairi had come in turns, as had Ven, and Aqua, and Terra himself. Roxas, so far, hadn’t made an appearance, though Lea wasn’t really surprised by that. He swallowed a groan and put the thoughts aside. That was a bridge to be crossed when they got to it.

Xion had stuck her head in once or twice, which Lea found more surprising. While Roxas’s feelings about Saïx had always been clear, Xion didn’t seem to be acting the way Lea had expected her to. He wouldn’t have been shocked if she’d hated him just as much as Roxas did, in her own quiet way. Instead, she seemed more… curious, than anything else.

Lea looked at Isa’s hands, clasped across his chest. The other man was still in a magical sleep, of course. They still weren’t sure what had prompted Terra-Xehanort’s awakening in the Keyblade Graveyard, so no attempts had been made to revive Isa; and none would be made until they knew how to help him.

Still, there was a deep, longing urge in Lea to reach out and take his old friend’s hand.

He shook himself. No. He knew exactly where that urge was coming from, and he couldn’t in good conscience act on the feelings that inspired it. Not while Isa wasn’t himself. Not while he was unsure of Isa’s feelings on the matter.

The last thing Lea wanted was to demand more from Isa than he was capable of giving him.

And the ground between them was still unsure.

He had to focus what hope he had on the mere concept of getting Isa back.

There was no room to hope for anything else.

Not if he didn’t want to risk breaking his own heart.

Kairi watched from the corner of the room as Lea’s eyes rested on Isa’s immobile hands. Lea’s own hands twitched slightly, and Kairi felt a twinge in her heart. She could tell how much this was hurting him.

Isa was still wearing the black coat he’d arrived in. She’d suggested at least putting him in new clothes, but Lea had vehemently vetoed any attempt to remove the coat. She’d asked why, and he had seemingly closed off a bit, saying only that he’d been Isa’s friend for a very long time, and that speaking as his friend, he wasn’t going to let anyone undress the other man until Isa was awake and able to give his consent. He’d taken a deep breath and calmed down somewhat, and had asked Kairi to please not ask any more questions about it, and just accept it; and she had, although she still didn’t understand.

It was frustrating for her, too. She couldn’t help but feel like she should be able to fix this. She’d turned her boyfriend back into himself from a Heartless, for Light’s sake!

There were times when she wondered what the hell it even meant to be a “Princess of Heart”. What even made being one special, aside from being a “heart of pure light”? _Was_ there even a purpose to being one aside from being relatively easy kidnapping fodder?

Kairi stood up and left the room. This bore checking out. And she knew exactly one person who she could ask about being “pure” anything.

“How the fuck am I supposed to know what a ‘heart of pure light’ is?” Vanitas demanded.

“I don’t fucking know, you’re the one who kept going on about being ‘pure darkness’,” Kairi sniped back, arms spread wide. “It can’t be _that_ different.”

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Should I be insulted? I think I should find this insulting.”

Kairi’s eyes narrowed. “Look. You’re my only shot here. Please?”

Vanitas’s eyes flicked to hers, then he looked back down at his feet. “It didn’t… It’s not like…” he started, and then frowned. “It’s hard to put into words.”

“Take the time you need,” Kairi said, paying close attention.

Vanitas scratched the back of his head. “The… big thing that’s different now is I don’t feel shitty all the time,” he mumbled. “I can feel ‘positive’ emotions now. So it’s not an everlasting train of misery and suffering.” His eyes flashed to hers, and she got the impression that he would’ve started posturing if she’d shown even a hint of sympathy for him. She kept her face a careful mask of annoyance. He continued. “Aside from that… I don’t really feel different.”

“So it was just the exclusively-negative emotions?” Kairi asked. “Otherwise being ‘pure darkness’ didn’t really mean anything?”

Vanitas glared at her. “Fuck off. And yes. It wasn’t really anything beyond that, and the emotions thing was because I was only half a fucking heart. It had nothing to do with that heart being all darkness.” He frowned. “I think. I don’t fucking know, I was the experiment, not the scientist.”

“You’re a person, not an experiment,” Kairi said automatically.

“Whatever,” Vanitas muttered, looking away. “You might as well ask Ventus. He got the light, remember?”

“Yeah, and Aqua says he was a zombie for a few weeks,” Kairi said. “He was also half a heart. Even if he was light, too, it’s different from me. I have a _whole_ heart of ‘pure light’. Whatever that means.”

Vanitas stared at her. “What?” she demanded.

“I have trouble thinking of you as ‘pure’ anything,” he snarked.

“Fuck you,” Kairi replied, rolling her eyes.

“Exactly my point,” Vanitas continued. “Why don’t you go ask the other Princesses?”

“…huh?”

“There’s seven of you, right?” Vanitas asked. “One of you has to have _some_ idea what the fuck.”

Kairi’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “That’s… actually a good idea,” she admitted. “Thanks, Vanitas.”

He blanched. “Shut up,” he mumbled, but she could tell his heart wasn’t in it.

“So, what do you think, Master?” Kairi asked.

Yen Sid considered what she’d proposed; to whit, travelling to the home worlds of the other six Princess of Heart, in the hopes that they could help Kairi realize her full potential.

“It is a worthwhile idea,” he said eventually, nodding. Kairi stifled a triumphant crow. Vanitas had thought the sorcerer’d say no. “However, as far as I’m aware, you have not been to the worlds of the other Princesses. How are you planning to travel there, Kairi?”

Kairi beamed. “That’s what they’re for!” She indicated Sora and Riku, who she’d brought along with her.

“Uh, Kairi?” Sora said. “I hate to break it to you, but I haven’t been to all their worlds, either. Only… half of them, I think?”

“And I haven’t been to any of the ones Sora hasn’t,” Riku added, frowning. “So…”

Kairi huffed. “Okay, fair enough. I just… When I go to see all of them, I assume I’m going to be meeting their families and loved ones at the same time. Maybe I just want them to meet the people I love, too.”

“Awwwww,” Sora and Riku both cooed.

Kairi glared. “Shush.”

Yen Sid was not the sort of person who smirked, and he definitely wasn’t doing so now. “Be that as it may–”

“I can take you.”

The group looked up to see Ven lingering in the doorway. “Ven?” Sora asked.

Ven stepped into the room. “I’ve been to the worlds Sora and Riku haven’t. I can take you there.”

“Are you sure?” Kairi asked. “Terra just got back–”

“And he’ll still be here when I get back,” Ven said. “Right now… Isa needs help. I know exactly how Lea’s feeling, and…” he trailed off, looking away. He took a deep breath and looked back up at them. “I can help with this, and I want to. I feel like I owe all of you for helping us with Terra, anyway. Not to mention rescuing Aqua and waking me up. Terra’s doing okay, anyway. So, if you’ll have me..?”

Kairi smiled. “Of course we will, Ven, thank you so much.”

Yen Sid nodded. “Then–”

“Now hold on!”

The group turned to look back at the doorway as Donald and Goofy raced through. “And just where do you think you’re all going without us?” Donald continued.

Goofy smiled. “Hey, we wanna see all our friends again, too!”

“Well, the more the merrier,” Kairi said, although she was privately a bit disappointed. It wasn’t that she was _hoping_ for a vacation with her boyfriends per se; but she’d be lying to herself if that wasn’t part of the reason she wanted them along. Well, that could wait until afterwards.

“I am in agreement,” said Yen Sid. “The Princesses of Heart have been the targets of Xehanort in the past. A larger group would be safer, for them and for all of you.”

“Then it’s settled!” Sora declared with a grin. “Let’s go!”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Ven asked. “I’m sorry, I should have asked before volunteering–”

“I’m fine, Ven,” Terra said, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’re only going to be gone a couple of days, right? And Sai – Isa, needs your help.” It was still odd thinking of the old Organization members by their real names, after knowing them by their Nobody names for so long; or, not knowing them at all, really. Xemnas had been a different person, regardless of what memories had stayed with Terra’s body.

He _was_ a different person.

He _was_.

“Terra?” Ven said, bringing him back to reality. “You _sure_ you’re okay?” He had sounded worried before, and now the worry was getting more apparent.

Terra mentally shook himself, and smiled again. “Yes, I’m sure, Ven.” He ruffled the teen’s hair. “And if I’m not, Aqua’s here to take care of me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Ven said, playfully pushing Terra’s hand away; but his expression showed he was still worried. He sighed. “Sorry. It’s just–”

“I know,” Terra said, moving his hand to Ven’s shoulder, “and I appreciate the concern. But I’m okay.”

“Okay,” Ven said, finally smiling back. He took a deep breath. “Well, they’re waiting for me; I should get going.”

“Take care,” Terra said, giving Ven one last pat on the shoulder.

Ven nodded. “You, too.” With that, he turned, and joined the rest of the group out on the Tower grounds. As Terra watched, Ven summoned and raised his Keyblade, their first destination having been decided on as the Dwarf Woodlands, home of Snow White.

Terra watched them go and sighed. If he was being honest, he was having some trouble adjusting to being ten years older than he remembered. The longer hair was taking some getting used to, although he had turned down Aqua’s suggestion that he get it cut. He’d keep it at least until Xehanort was defeated; from there, he’d decide if he wanted to keep it long or not.

That was in addition to the extra inches of height he’d somehow managed to grow. He’d asked Master Yen Sid about it, but the sorcerer’d had no answers for him, suggesting that perhaps he’d shrink back down to his proper height given time. Which wasn’t very helpful to the minor coordination issues Terra had been having. But, after a couple days of practice, they’d all but vanished.

Pursing his lips, he turned and started to climb the Tower’s stairs. The living situation was quite comfortable, and he was sharing a room with Ven. Previously, his side of the room had been Aqua’s; they wouldn’t have been the first to have three to a room in the Tower, but Aqua had bowed out for reasons Terra felt entirely understandable. It was one thing for three friends who had known each other for decades to share a room, and another for three people in a relationship, but it was a little awkward between the two of them in a way that hadn’t been a problem for Ven. Terra honestly wasn’t sure Ven understood why he and Aqua had both thought it’d be awkward. She’d instead moved to a room adjacent to theirs, which was unique in that it had a door between the two rooms set in the adjoining wall, giving both easy access in case of an emergency, and also privacy. Ven had definitely not understood why Aqua had muttered her relief in being able to take shorter showers, and they had both immediately and silently agreed not to explain it to him. They’d known him long enough to know he wouldn’t want to know.

Terra paused on the dormitory floor. There was one unpleasant thing about being himself again, and he was feeling it at the moment. He placed a hand over his chest, judging whether he could continue to ignore it.

He frowned. No, not this time. He needed to take care of it. But that was a simple matter.

He walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he summoned his Keyblade, locked the door, and cast Silence on the room around him.

No need to involve anyone else.

He lifted the lid of the toilet, kneeled down in front of it, and pressed a finger into his mouth.

Immediately, the flood of darkness rose out of his throat. He barely managed to move his hand out of the way in time, as he retched and coughed into the bowl. The darkness moved slowly, filling his mouth with an acrid taste before it left him.

The black sludge stained his lips, leaving a bitter taste. It dripped into the bowl like molasses, falling in clinging strands.

After what seemed like a lifetime, it ended. Terra panted, leaning his head against the cold ceramic. Almost as an afterthought, he flushed it away.

Still breathing hard, he struggled to his feet. Every time he did this, he felt drained, weak, exhausted. And he could never let Ven and Aqua find out about it. But it was better than having darkness inside of him.

He moved to the vanity and grabbed his toothbrush. The foul taste was still in his mouth, and his teeth were stained with it. Thankfully the Tower replenished toothpaste. No one had noticed.

He couldn’t look at his reflection in the mirror.

But it was better this way.

In a little house in a glade in the woods, a stone’s throw away from an imposing castle, lived seven little men who worked a mine. Once upon a time, a princess had fled from her wicked stepmother and taken refuge with them. Not much had changed about the house or its occupants in the years that had followed, though the princess herself was now married and living in a different castle.

Usually. For today, the princess had returned to the little house in the glade, where she was having tea with another princess she hadn’t seen in years.

“Oh, but it is wonderful to see you, Kairi,” said Snow White. “My, how tall you’ve gotten!”

Kairi smirked. “Yeah, but just look at Riku. You want taller? He’s taller.” The two looked over to where Riku was having a quiet discussion with Snow White’s husband. Kairi had found the prince to be nothing but charming, and it looked like Riku agreed.

Snow White laughed. “It gladdens me to see things resolved between the three of you,” she said. “And… three is the custom, in your world?” she added, with a hint of not judgement, but slight confusion.

“Not the most common custom, but not so uncommon as to be remarkable,” Kairi said. She didn’t begrudge Snow White the question; Sora wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the lack of more-than-two relationships in other worlds. Not for the first time, she wondered whether it was the world or Snow White herself that inspired such formal phrasing in her. Though, she reflected privately as she looked over towards Sora and Ven, given the other natives to the world, it likely wasn’t the world itself.

Ven had introduced Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the Seven Dwarfs with great enthusiasm, which was also what Sora and Goofy received them with. Donald was slightly more suspicious, but so was the dwarf named Grumpy, and the two quickly managed to hit it off. The rest of the Dwarfs had invited Sora, Ven, and Goofy to join in a song and dance; Sora was currently dancing with another dwarf, Dopey, who was sitting on Goofy’s shoulders. They were singing a song, but the words didn’t mean a thing; truly, it was a silly song that anyone could sing. Even Sora and Ven.

“As lovely as this visit is,” said Snow White, bringing Kairi’s attention back, “something tells me this isn’t a purely social call, Kairi.”

“Uh, no, no it isn’t,” Kairi said. She straightened in her chair, organizing her thoughts. “Snow, you know how we’re both Princesses of Heart?”

“Yes?”

“Well… do you have any idea what that actually _means_?”

Snow White stared at her for a few seconds, blinking as she thought about it. “You know… I haven’t the slightest clue myself.”

Kairi sighed, and slumped in her chair. “I was afraid of that.” At Snow White’s questioning look, she explained Isa’s predicament.

“I see,” Snow White said. “But… why do you think this is something a Princess of Heart can help with?”

“Twice, there have been things I’ve done that _have_ to be connected to being a Princess of Heart,” Kairi said. “When Sora, Riku, and I first reunited, Riku was shrouded in darkness. He looked completely different, but I _knew_ it was him. I could _feel_ it… and I made _Sora_ feel it, too.” She took a sip of her tea. “And earlier, in Hollow Bastion, when Sora released all of our hearts from himself and the Keyblade of Heart, he became a Heartless… and I turned him back into a human. And I don’t know _how_ I did either of those things. So I was hoping, maybe you or another one of the Princesses would know?”

Sadly, Snow White shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to help you, Kairi. I’m sorry.”

Kairi sighed. “That’s all right, Snow. I just… I don’t really understand what makes us unique. We’re not even all ‘real’ princesses! I mean, you are, and Aurora and Jasmine are, but Cinderella’s only a princess by marriage, and Belle, Alice, and I aren’t princesses at all! I think,” she added, frowning. “I’m not sure Radiant Garden even had a monarchy before the Fall.”

Snow White reached out a hand and placed it over hers. “It’s all right, Kairi. I know you’ll find a way to help,” she said with an encouraging smile. “Even when things seem their darkest, the light of others will reach you.”

“What do you mean?” Kairi asked, intrigued.

“Well, I myself am only here today because of the kindness of others,” Snow White said. “My stepmother’s huntsman couldn’t bring himself to kill me, and my friends here gave me shelter when I needed it. Yes, it was because I agreed to keep their house clean for them, but honestly,” her voice dropped lower, “if you had seen the mess this place was when I’d first arrived, you’d have considered being given permission to clean it a blessing.”

Kairi snickered to herself. Snow White smiled in return. “If you ask me, everyone is kind like that at their heart. Yes, there are some that grow cruel and wicked, but everyone has that core of decency. Sometimes it’s just a matter of knowing how to look for it. And,” she added, looking over at Grumpy and Donald, “a matter of knowing that it looks different in everyone.”

Kairi considered this. “You know what, Snow? That actually is very helpful.” She grinned, squeezing the other woman’s hand. “Thank you.”

Snow White laughed. “I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because "Princess of Destiny" has the same number of syllables and some of the same phonemes as "Breakfast at Tiffany's", that's why.   
I'm sure you can guess how this is going to go from the number of chapters and the title of this one. Seven Princesses, seven chapters, simple enough. Don't bother guessing which one's coming next, it's really not all that important. In fact: Snow White, Alice, Aurora, Jasmine, Cinderella, Belle, Kairi. There, laid out. And of course, Isa will be unNorted in the final chapter. Lea will be much more involved in that chapter than most of the rest of the fic.   
This was originally just going to be Ven fourth-wheeling, but then KH3 dropped and there was a whole lot of love for Donald and Goofy going around, so I added them in, too, when I finally started working on this. It's an artifact of how I played the games, but I don't really care about the Sora-Donald-Goofy trio as much as everyone else seems to. The first time I ever played alongside them was the Hollow Bastion level of Re:coded. Where you can't actually fight and instead give them orders. I still think it's the worst level in the entirety of Kingdom Hearts. That said, I did appreciate them much more as I played through the rest of the series.   
Oh, Terra. I want it on record that I didn't set out intending to have both of Ven's big siblings try to pretend things are fine and not let him help them, but in my defense, it does kind of make sense. And Terra's in for some dirty looks when Ven gets back.   
Darkness sure is a problem, eh? It's such a pity that Riku's not here to help...  
It's going to become severely apparent that I know some of the Disney movies the Princesses are from better than others, but we'll discuss each of them as we get to them. As for Snow White, I know the story, of course, but I've never actually seen the movie. And I found out through research for this that her Prince's name is just "The Prince", "Prince Charming" being the prince from Cinderella (but again, we'll get to that later). As for why it's the Princesses we've known about for 15+ years and not the ill-defined "New Seven Hearts" from KHIII... no, I think the answer is inherent in the question there. Of the new seven, the only ones we know for sure are Rapunzel, Elsa, and Ana, and the Frozen sisters have already appeared in this AU. Four are unidentified (but if two of them aren't Moana and Merida from Brave I'll be very surprised. As for the other two... Vanillope from Wreck-it Ralph, maybe? She _is_ actually a princess. And I have no guesses for the final one unless they're a KH-original character. Would give Naminé something to do, even if she's been through enough as is), so it made much more sense to do the already-established ones.   
I think that's about it! Join me next week for a very important date!


	2. Alice

“Naminé told me this place was weird,” Kairi muttered, “and man was she not kidding.”

“First time in Wonderland?” Goofy asked.

Kairi nodded. “I mean, can you blame me? We’re walking on a wall!”

After the Dwarf Woodlands, Sora and Ven had decided to take them to a world Sora had been to before. They had decided on Wonderland, since Kairi didn’t think it was likely that Alice had any knowledge of being a Princess of Heart that Snow White wouldn’t. Still, they had to check, and Donald had insisted that Wonderland would be easier to, in his words, “deal with”, earlier into their journey.

And dealing with it they were. They’d arrived in the middle of (yet another) trial, as the Queen of Hearts evidently had nothing better to do than put various people on trial for offenses of varying severity, all of which were punishable by non-negotiable beheading. This time, it was a trial _in absentia_, as the offending party was not present to be judged. The accused in this case was, for once, not Alice herself, but something known as a “Jabberwocky”.

The Jabberwocky was accused of “nuisancy”, which Kairi, Riku, and Ven all doubted was a real word, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy assured them that that didn’t matter in the slightest in Wonderland. The Queen, of course, had found it guilty, and announced its summary execution, but there were two slight problems. First, the Jabberwocky was not present. Second, no one who was present actually knew what a Jabberwocky looked like.

It was the King of Hearts who presented a solution: Alice, who had been recognized as Capable by the court (much to the poor girl’s irritation), would be sent to, in the King’s words, “Take off the head, er, of the Jabberwocky.” Kairi had angrily opened her mouth to complain, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy had jumped her before she could say anything, knowing it would be too much trouble to get into an argument with the Queen (as well as potentially neck-threatening).

Thus, Alice was handed a “vorpal” sword, and the party followed her as she went to slay, and indeed _find_ a Jabberwocky.

“I’m afraid you don’t understand, Kairi,” Alice said, cross. “Here in Wonderland, it’s entirely possible we could be _swimming_ on a wall. And oh, I haven’t my bathing suit.”

“Wow. How do you put up with it?” Kairi asked. “Living here and all.”

“Living here?” Alice asked, surprised. “Kairi, I don’t _live_ here. I’m _stuck_ here. I’ve been trying to get home for at least the past day.”

Kairi opened her mouth to protest that the first time Sora had met Alice had been three years ago, but shut it again, realizing that Wonderland may simply be on a different time axis. Or, more likely, Wonderland was just weird. And technically speaking, Alice wasn’t _wrong_.

“How do you put up with it?” Ven asked Alice. “Wonderland being Wonderland, I mean.”

Alice shrugged. “One has to stay her course. To call out the ridiculousness when she sees it.”

“Doesn’t that get you in trouble with the Queen, though?” Riku pointed out.

“Of course,” said Alice. “But when her royal majesty is throwing a temper tantrum, _someone_ has to tell her she’s being ridiculous. She’ll never get any governing done if nobody tells her ‘no’.”

“I… don’t think she’d appreciate that,” Sora said, sharing a glance with Donald and Goofy.

“Oh, no, of course she doesn’t,” Alice agreed. “But, if one knows the right way to go about it, one can think circles around her.”

“Does she make you kill mythical beasts often?” Kairi asked, wryly.

Alice laughed. “Oh, no. Usually she doesn’t let me be involved with the court. She’s terrified I’ll start to act as a defense barrister. I haven’t the heart to tell her I’ve no law degree.”

Sora stretched his arms up and sighed. “It still sucks that she’s making you do this, though. Destroying Heartless is one thing, but killing something that probably didn’t do anything wrong? I don’t like it.”

“Let’s not be too hasty, Sora. Jabberwockies are supposed to have, oh, what was it… Ah-ha! ‘Jaws that bite and claws that catch!’ Supposedly they’re quite a ‘manxome’ foe, whatever that means.” The voice came out of Sora’s hood.

“Jiminy?” Sora asked, trying and failing to look back over his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”

The cricket’s head popped up from behind Sora’s back. “Oh, there’s this poem about a Jabberwocky and a boy hunting it in one of my books,” he said, ignoring the surprised looks at his presence from Alice, Kairi, and Ven. “Here!” He held up a book of normal proportions, which he had somehow secreted away in Sora’s hood.

Riku took the book while Sora mentally tried to figure out how Jiminy had kept it in his hood without his noticing. “‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves…’” he read, and frowned. “Jiminy, this is nonsense.”

“I think that’s the point, Riku!” Jiminy said. “And ya know, we _are_ in Wonderland.”

Riku read through the poem. “Well, we have a ‘vorpal sword’,” he said. “I don’t suppose you know where to find a ‘Tumtum tree’, Alice?”

Alice shook her head. “No, I don’t think I… wait a moment,” she said, her eyes widening. “May I see the poem?”

Riku handed her the book and she tapped the top of the first page with a finger. “Gentlemen, and lady,” she said, nodding to Kairi, “I have a plan.”

“Your Royal Majesty!”

The Queen of Hearts, still in the hedge maze courtroom, looked up at Alice’s return. “Yes, girl, what is it? Have you brought me the Jabberwocky’s head?”

“No,” Alice said.

The Queen’s face started to turn red. “Excuse me? Off with her–!”

“Hang on!” Alice interrupted. “I haven’t brought you the head because you ordered me to do the deed in front of you, remember?”

“Oh. Did I?” said the Queen, lazily. Kairi internally rolled her eyes.

“Yes, you did,” Alice said smoothly. “And so, I will.” With that, she tossed Jiminy’s book into the air, and brought down the vorpal sword. With a _snicker-snack_, the blade cleaved right through the top third of the book, rending it in two. Beside Kairi, Ven shuddered, and Jiminy in Sora’s hood sighed. He’d given over the book to Alice’s plan, but he hadn’t been happy about it.

“What’s this?” the Queen demanded. “I ordered you to–!”

“Your Royal Majesties ordered me to ‘take off the header of the Jabberwocky,” Alice interrupted again. “This book contains the Jabberwocky – it is a poem. And I have removed its header.” She opened the pieces of the book to the poem, and sure enough, the header of the poem, announcing its title, had been removed from the text of the poem.

The Queen sat back. “Well then,” she said brusquely. “Justice has been served. On to the next trial!”

Alice gently urged the rest of the group out of the courtroom, lest one of them be the next trial. “I’m sorry about your book, Mr. Cricket,” she said to Jiminy.

“Aw gosh, that’s no problem,” Jiminy said. “I’m just glad I could be of help.”

Alice nodded. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help to you, Kairi,” she said. Kairi had informed her of the purpose of their presence in Wonderland upon their arrival, as soon as they had been dispatched on their mission.

“Oh, I don’t know, Alice,” Kairi said. “Staying the course and doing what’s right even when nothing makes sense? You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Alice beamed. “I’m glad to hear it, Kairi!”

Terra blinked.

He was sitting at a table. He hadn’t been here before, he’d been –

“Hello, Terra.”

Terra looked across the table and stiffened. There, sitting on the other side, was Terra himself. Except that his hair was bright silver, and his eyes were golden.

“Xehanort!” he snarled, and tried to rise from the table, but he couldn’t move. Nor could he summon his Keyblade.

The other Terra shook his head. “Oh, Terra, what has become of you?” His voice, maddeningly, was Terra’s own.

“You know full well what happened!” Terra snapped. “What is this? A dream?”

The other Terra laughed. “Oh, no, this is no dream. But we are inside your head. Where I’ll always be. Just waiting for you to call on me.”

“Never!” Terra growled. “I’ll never be drawn back to the Darkness again!”

“Oh, Terra,” said the other him, smiling. “Don’t you understand?

“_I’ll always be a part of you.”_

Terra awoke with a gasp and a burning sensation in his chest. Before he was fully aware, he was rushing towards the bathroom. The dark sludge was building up to a critical point, he could tell, and he only barely managed to get there before it filled his mouth.

Coughing and hacking, he groggily wondered if this was just going to be his life now. Well, he’d learn to live with it, if this was the price for being free of the darkness.

Just as long as Ven and Aqua –

“Terra?”

Terra froze, slowly lifting his head to see Aqua standing in the doorway.

He hadn’t locked it behind him.

“Oh my – Terra, what’s happening?” Aqua asked, eyes and tone full of worry.

“Aqua, it’s nothing, I’m fine,” Terra said thickly through a mouthful of sludge. His gag reflex triggered again and he spun towards the bowl just in time.

“Terra, this doesn’t look ‘_fine_’!” Aqua insisted, moving to kneel next to him. “What’s happening to you?!”

“…I’m getting rid of the darkness in me,” Terra said. “It’s fine.”

“Terra, you look horrible,” Aqua whispered. “This can’t be good for you.”

“Aqua… I don’t know what else to do about this,” Terra admitted. “This is the only way I can be… safe, around everyone.”

“I…” Aqua reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “Terra, I don’t believe that. I was _wrong_, Terra. I was _wrong _when I said you’d go astray again, and I’m sorry! But this _isn’t _the answer!”

“Then what is, Aqua?” Terra asked. He was careful not to sound angry, because he wasn’t. He was just tired. “What is the answer?”

Tears filled Aqua’s eyes. “Terra… I… I don’t…”

“Swallow.”

The two turned back towards the door. Standing in the doorway, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, was Vanitas.

Aqua bristled. “Vanitas, we don’t have time for your–”

“Aqua, shut up and let me talk. I can help,” Vanitas cut her off.

“Help how?” Aqua asked. There was a suspicious edge in her tone, but it was clearly born of worry for Terra, not of hatred for Vanitas.

Vanitas ignored her question and crossed the room to kneel next to Terra. “Swallow.”

“What?” Terra asked, weakly.

“_Swallow_,” Vanitas said, intense. Terra continued to stare at him, confused. Vanitas sighed. “Look. I’m not telling you to like the darkness. I’m not telling you to give in. But even a hem… he… Aqua, what did you say was the word that means you’re afraid of blood was?”

“Hemophobic?” Aqua asked, completely lost.

“That, yeah. Even people like that still need blood _inside_ them. So I’m telling you to _swallow_. You need your darkness as much as you need your light.”

Terra stared at him, incredulous. Vanitas stood, went to the sink, and filled a disposable cup with water. “Here. Make it easier,” he said, offering Terra the cup.

Terra took it, and with a cautious look at Aqua, drank it. The darkness in his mouth receded; the burning in his chest subsided.

He immediately felt better.

He looked up at Vanitas. “How?” he asked weakly.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Like I said. It’s _supposed_ to be inside you.”

Aqua’s mouth twitched, but she sighed. “That… lines up with what Riku told me, once.”

“Glad I have your approval, bitch,” Vanitas said, sarcastic. Aqua glared at him.

“Language,” Terra said automatically. One of the biggest surprises he’d had upon returning to the Tower was the discovery that Vanitas was not only alive, but living with everyone with the intention of fighting alongside them against Xehanort. Also, that he had the exact same face as Sora, minus black hair and emerald eyes. This was somehow less awkward than finding out that three ex-Organization members and a former prisoner of theirs were also working with his friends. Things were naturally a bit strained considering who Terra was – who he used to be. Nothing that couldn’t be healed with time, however.

Vanitas was another story. Terra had been bracing for theoretical impact from the moment Aqua admitted Vanitas was there, but Ven, Sora, and Riku all vouched for him. Even Aqua begrudgingly admitted that Vanitas had become a different person from the boy who had been Xehanort’s apprentice. Terra had been interested in finding out what they meant, though Vanitas had been practically avoiding him over the past couple days.

Vanitas, for reasons Terra didn’t understand, scoffed. “So. You get it? It’s _your_ darkness, genius. You can’t just _expel_ it. You _need_ it.”

Terra frowned. “But… I can’t just… _let_ the darkness rule me again.”

“That’s not what he means,” Aqua said, quietly.

“Huh?” Terra turned to face her, shocked.

“He means that… while Darkness can’t be channeled, personal darkness can be controlled,” Aqua said. She’d sat down while this was happening, and now had her knees drawn up to her chin. She screwed her eyes shut. “The Master was wrong about darkness, Terra. Xehanort was, too. There _is_ a way to find a balance. Riku figured it out while we were lost.”

Terra stared at her. “So… I can fix this? Fix myself?”

“You’re not broken, dipshit,” Vanitas said. “You’re just out of balance.” He turned away, reddening a bit. “Riku… helped me with mine when I first got back,” he muttered.

“But… Riku just left on that mission,” Aqua whispered. “Terra, I’m sorry, I don’t know if you can hold out until he gets back.”

Terra smiled at her. “Hey, it’s okay. I can hold on as long as I need to–”

“Aw, what a pretty sentiment,” Vanitas said, mocking. “But it’s not necessary. Riku might not be here, but his teachings _are_.”

“What are you saying?” Terra asked, but Aqua’s eyes had widened.

“Vanitas,” she said, frowning, “Are you suggesting–?”

“Exactly what you think I am,” Vanitas agreed, nodding. He drew himself up to his full height and took a deep breath, facing Terra.

“I can teach you instead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we come to number two on the list of "Disney Movies I haven't actually seen". Well, sort of. I haven't seen the animated Alice in Wonderland; I have seen the Tim Burton one (and no, I don't consider that a good substitute). More importantly, I _have_ read both _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ and _Through The Looking-Glass_, albeit back in high school for a different personal project I was working on back then. And I actually studied the Jabberwocky as part of a college course (Did you know that the word "chortled" was one of the nonsense words Carroll coined for the poem? It's now considered a normal, perfectly cromulent English word. So if anyone ever tells you to stop using "made-up" words, gently remind them that _all_ words are made up).  
This is your friendly reminder that Jiminy Cricket is in Sora's hood at all times unless noted otherwise. Ponder this for a moment, friends.  
The other major thing to talk about is, of course, the final line. I've mentioned previously being a fan of Sherlock Holmes in general. The inspiration for this comes from the second RDJ Holmes movie, A Game of Shadows. I was always struck by the setup of the climax: Holmes and his archenemy Moriarty are on a balcony outside a party. At this party there is planned to be an assassination which, if successful, will start World War One twenty years early. Moriarty taunts Holmes, saying that there's no way for him to find the assassin and prevent the murder in time, since he's stuck out here. Holmes's response? He might not be in the room.  
But his methods _are_.  
And so it falls to Watson to, using Holmes's deductive reasoning methods, figure out who the assassin is; and of course he succeeds.  
And that's the sort of thing I planned out here. Riku mentioned teaching Terra back in Adjustments in order to plant the idea that Riku's balance between light and darkness was something he could teach others; which becomes relevant immediately once Vanitas joins up. However, this was a bit of misdirection. I never intended for Riku to teach Terra. Rather, the plan was always that _Vanitas_ would pass on what Riku taught _him_ to Terra.  
Riku might not be present, but his methods _are_.  
I think that's about everything! Next week, things may be seldom what they seem, but if you all know me, and you know what I'll do, something something once upon a dream it's Sleeping Beauty next week. Transitions are hard.  
Until next time!


	3. Aurora

“Aqua was right!” Kairi gasped. “This world is beautiful!”

“Isn’t it?” Ven agreed. “Looks like some kind of tapestry, huh?”

“Gawrsh, it sure is pretty!” Goofy said. “Somewhere between Art Deco and what we call ‘medieval art’.” He chuckled to himself. “Although, I think in Merlin’s home world they just call it ‘art’.”

The rest of the group stared at him for a second before deciding not to comment on it. They’d arrived in Enchanted Dominion and were making their way through the forest on the way to visit Aurora and her husband Phillip.

“This is also the world the fairies came from, right?” Sora asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Ven said. “They helped me get Aurora’s heart back from–!” He stopped, suddenly, and tried very hard not to look at Riku.

“From?” Donald asked.

“From… uh…” Ven stammered. “From…”

“From Maleficent,” Riku said. There was no inflection in his tone.

“…yeah,” Ven said, quietly.

“…Oh,” Donald said, realizing he’d just put his foot in his beak. “Um…”

“It’s fine,” Riku said, looking straight ahead. “If you’ll excuse me.” With that, he picked up the pace, leaving the rest of them behind.

“…Sorry,” Ven said to Kairi and Sora, wincing.

“It’s not your fault,” Sora said. “He’s been on edge since we got here. I didn’t know how to bring it up without… exactly that, happening.”

“Well, now that it’s been brought up, we can deal with it,” Kairi said. “Come on, Sora, we’ve got a boyfriend to wrangle.” The two hurried after Riku.

Ven sighed, and turned to Donald and Goofy. “Do the two of you ever feel like fourth wheels sometimes?”

“Naw, this is kinda the first time we’ve been traveling with all three of them at once since they started seein’ each other,” Goofy said. “Third wheels at best!”

“And usually it’s Riku feeling like a fourth wheel when we travel together,” Donald muttered. “Which is why Maleficent was able to get her claws in him at all.”

The three of them sighed in unison.

“Well,” Ven said after a moment of silence. “At least we know Sora and Kairi aren’t gonna let him suffer in silence.”

“That’s right!” Goofy agreed.

“They’ll pull him out of it kicking and screaming if they have to,” Donald agreed, nodding.

Sora and Kairi crested a ridge to find Riku leaning back against a tree, brooding.

“I’m not brooding,” he muttered as they drew closer. “I just…”

“We know,” Sora said, taking up position on one side of him, but not touching him. Both of them knew to wait until Riku said it was okay. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Riku sighed as Kairi leaned back next to him. “I don’t know what there is to talk about.”

They lapsed into silence for a time. Eventually, Riku said, “It’s hard to believe a place this beautiful could produce someone like _her_.”

“No one starts out like that,” said Kairi. She sighed. “I wish we could find out what happened, but…”

“Honestly I’m not sure I want to know,” Riku said. “It would make it… it’s easier to hate her if I don’t know why.”

“You _want_ to hate her?” Sora asked. There was no judgement, just a hint of sadness.

“…It’s better than _not_ knowing how to feel about her,” Riku said, bitter. The tension in his shoulders changed. Gently, Kairi reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. He reached out with his opposite hand and Sora took it.

“…I was envious of you, you know,” he said to Sora.

“Why?” Sora asked.

“…you had a mom,” Riku mumbled.

“You had her, too.”

Riku sighed. “Yeah… but back then, I didn’t realize that. She was _your_ mom, so she couldn’t be…” he trailed off. “And, Kairi, your dad was _your_ dad.” She nodded in understanding. “I was selfish,” Riku continued. “I wanted…” He screwed up his lips and didn’t finish the sentence.

But it was enough. “What you wanted… wasn’t something she was capable of giving you,” Kairi said, gently squeezing his shoulder.

“And it’s not selfish to want that,” Sora added, squeezing his hand.

“Yeah,” Riku muttered. “And because of that, because I didn’t realize what she was, or what I was doing, I…”

He trailed off again, and they let the silence stand. They’d been over this before. Everything that needed to be said had already been said. Right now, it was enough that they were there; that they were all there together.

“Thank you,” Riku said eventually. Sora squeezed his hand, and Kairi leaned against his shoulder.

“Anytime,” Kairi said.

“Anything,” Sora said.

Riku smiled. At the same moment, the sun came out from behind a cloud.

If there was one thing Enchanted Dominion was good at, it was staging.

Princess Aurora and her husband, Prince Phillip, were currently at her parents’ castle, which was fortunate, as Phillip’s parents were the king and queen of an entirely different kingdom that Ven didn’t know the way to. Kairi was wondering exactly how many teatimes they were going to hit on this trip; she was at least thankful that they’d missed tea with Alice.

“What it means to be a Princess of Heart?” Aurora mused. “That is a puzzling question.”

“I guess it’s too much to hope that some of us got an instruction manual, huh?” Kairi asked, smirking.

Aurora smiled back. “I don’t think life is ever quite that simple, Kairi.”

“True enough,” Kairi laughed. She looked over at where Riku was deep in discussion with Phillip, and where Sora and Ven were trying their best to remember everything Eraqus had taught Ven about proper courtly etiquette, lest they embarrass themselves in front of King Stephan and Queen Leah. Neither of them had seemed to remember that Donald and Goofy were also part of a royal court, and could advise them; and the dog and duck weren’t too keen on offering the information, from the way they kept side-eyeing each other and snickering.

“How have my godmothers been?” Aurora asked, drawing Kairi’s attention back. “They haven’t returned since our world was restored, but I’m aware that they’ve been helping you.”

“You mean Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather?” Kairi asked. “How did you know they were with us?”

“Well, I recognize their handiwork on your clothes, for one thing,” Aurora said. “Also… I just… knew. They raised me, you know. I suppose… we share a special connection, in our hearts.”

“_Really._” Kairi leaned forwards, interested. “And you can feel them across worlds?”

Aurora smiled. “Kairi, I don’t believe that it’s a Princess of Heart matter. I believe Ventus and Sora mentioned something similar happening when Aqua was freed from the Realm of Darkness?”

“Oh.” Kairi sat back, a little disappointed. “I guess that’s true.”

Aurora chuckled. After a while, Kairi did, too. “If you ask me,” Aurora said eventually, “we’re all connected like that in some way. Myself, my husband, my parents, my godmothers, you, your paramours… even those we wouldn’t like to be connected to,” she added, in an undertone.

Kairi nodded in understanding. “…Her?” she asked.

Aurora nodded. It was, Kairi supposed, similar to Riku’s situation, if tangentially. Aurora, alone of the seven princesses, had been Maleficent’s victim twice. And the fact that the evil fairy was from her own world had to be conflicting to think about.

“Regardless,” Aurora said, “these connections do exist. Surely you’ve noticed the same among your friends?”

Kairi smiled, reminiscing. “Yeah, of course. Sora’s been talking about everyone’s hearts being connected for years now.”

“Exactly. So no matter how far apart we are, our hearts are still connected,” Aurora said. Something seemed to occur to her, and she pinched her lips together. “Although,” she muttered in an undertone, “I can’t say I don’t enjoy having my dresses stay the same colour they were when I received them.”

Kairi snorted into her tea.

“What do you mean, ‘get out?’”

“I mean, get out,” Vanitas said, gesturing towards the door. “We’re not doing this with you in the room.”

Aqua glared at him. “And why not? Terra’s _my_ friend.”

It was the following day, a little past noon. Vanitas had chosen a room of the Tower with large windows that let in a lot of light. Terra and Aqua had both joined him, but he’d taken exception to Aqua’s presence.

“Oh, do you not _trust_ me with your _friend_, Aqua?” Vanitas sneered.

Aqua grit her teeth, but didn’t answer.

“Yeah, of course not,” Vanitas muttered.

“Vanitas, I don’t see what the problem is,” Terra said. “Why can’t she be in here?”

Vanitas sighed. “Look. Most of what we’re going to try to accomplish here is getting _you_,” he indicated Terra, “more comfortable with the idea that, guess what! Everyone has darkness and it’s only a problem if you try to channel what isn’t yours. Call me crazy, but for some reason I think that’s gonna be a really emotionally messy fucking process for you. And considering you went and hid your little ‘personal problems’ earlier in the week, I’m guessing you don’t want Aqua to see that. Well?” he demanded.

Terra blinked. He looked over at Aqua, who looked just as stunned as he felt.

But the thing was… Vanitas was right.

Terra sighed. “I’m sorry, Aqua, but…”

“No, it’s okay,” she said, and put a comforting hand on his arm. “I’d probably feel the same way if it was me.” She smiled ruefully. “In a way, I _have_ been through something like that. That said,” she added, “I also needed Kairi and Naminé to pull me out of the funk I ended up in. So, I’ll be right down the hall if you need me, okay?”

Terra smiled. “Okay.”

“Yeah, great, whatever, fuck off,” Vanitas said, waving her out the door. “And just to make sure you don’t get ideas…” He picked up a sign from inside the room and hung it on the door. In large block letters, it read:

**NO GIRLS ALLOWED**

**(MEANING YOU AQUA)**

“Fantastic,” Aqua deadpanned. “You need a comma between ‘you’ and ‘Aqua’.”

Vanitas grumbled, but produced a marker and added in the punctuation.

“Not bad,” said Terra. He’d been made aware that Aqua had been teaching Vanitas how to read and write. “Although, I think you wrote the ‘W’ backwards.”

“What?!” Vanitas squawked, and grabbed the sign to check. “I can’t have, I’m sure I…!” He trailed off, then turned back to Terra with a look that could melt concrete.

Terra grinned. Beside him, Aqua covered her hand with her mouth, but wasn’t able to hold back a choke of laughter. Vanitas’s expression somehow managed to sour further.

“Yeah, fine, laugh it up,” he muttered. “You’ll need it.”

Terra’s grin faded. “Sorry, Vanitas, that was mean of me.” He missed the warning look on Aqua’s face.

Vanitas let out a low hiss that was almost a sigh if you missed the anger inherent in it. “Let’s… let’s just fucking move on. Aqua, out.”

“Right,” Aqua said, without arguing. “Again, call me if you need anything or if anything goes wro–”

“Fuck off, bitch,” Vanitas said, and turned back into the room.

Aqua rolled her eyes. “Just so you know,” she said quietly, “he has a… _thing_ about the entire concept of apologizing. Doing it and receiving it. He’s getting better, but…” she shrugged.

“…right,” Terra said, confused. “Any… advice?”

“If he insults you, insult him right back,” Aqua said. “Believe it or not, it makes him more comfortable.”

“Familiar ground, huh?”

“I guess.” Aqua sighed. “Good luck, Terra.” She smiled. “Oh, and… even if you can’t do this, or it takes you a while… I believe in you, and I’m not going to think badly of you. Okay?”

Terra matched her smile, and leaned over to hug her. “Okay. Thanks, Aqua.”

Vanitas was kneeling on the floor when Terra joined him in the room. “Done with family time?” he asked, sarcastic.

“Yes?” Terra said, sitting down across from him. “Mind telling me something?”

“What?”

“Why do you keep calling Aqua a bitch?”

Vanitas frowned. “’Cause she’s a bitch. Got a problem with that?”

Terra pondered how to continue the line of questioning. “…she hasn’t been one, in my experience. But I’m guessing our experiences are different?”

“She wanted to kill me, and punched me in the face,” Vanitas said, flatly.

Terra pursed his lips. “…did you deserve it?” he asked, innocently.

Vanitas’s eyes narrowed. “…fuck off,” he muttered.

“Right,” said Terra. “Would you mind not calling her that around me?”

“Why not?” Vanitas demanded.

“Because I don’t like hearing you refer to my friend like that,” Terra said, simply. There was no threat, no plea. Just a simple statement of fact.

“… I don’t make promises I don’t know if I can keep,” Vanitas muttered.

“That’s fine,” Terra said. “But I’d appreciate it if you tried to make the effort.”

Vanitas huffed, and straightened. “We’re starting. First off, everything you were taught about darkness is bullshit.”

“Really? Everything?” Terra said, with a hint of amusement.

Vanitas bristled. “Look, this’ll go smoother for both of us if you stop being an ass.”

“All right, s – fine,” Terra said. Vanitas huffed again.

“I mean everything you were taught by your master, and by t – by Xehanort,” he said. “Darkness, big-capital-D, doesn’t belong in the worlds, but small-d darkness does. Everyone but the seven Princesses of Heart has darkness in their heart. And guess fucking what? That’s _normal_. We _need_ it. The problem comes,” he continued as Terra opened his mouth, “when you try to draw upon the Darkness. Capital D,” he added, glaring at Terra as if daring him to ask a question. “That’s what t – what Xehanort had you doing.”

“So, you’re saying I should only be drawing upon my personal darkness?” Terra asked.

“Got it in one. Maybe I need to take back all those times I called you a dumbass,” Vanitas said, smirking.

“Maybe so,” Terra said, matching his smirk. There was a point at which he’d have risen to the taunt. It had been a long time since then.

“That’s Riku’s big trick. He figured out how to recognize his own darkness, and only use it instead of drawing on the Darkness,” Vanitas said.

“So how are you going to teach me to do that?” Terra asked.

“…Well…” Vanitas shifted, uncomfortable. “We have to figure out a way for you to recognize your own darkness. So… I think the easiest way to do that would be… for you to… experience mine?”

Terra sat back on his hands, confused. “_What?_”

“Everyone’s feels different, but personal darkness feels distinct from Darkness,” Vanitas said. He couldn’t meet Terra’s eyes. “I learned to recognize my own from being shown Riku’s as an example.”

Terra tilted his head. “So… you’re saying I need to… touch your darkness?”

Vanitas’s eyes narrowed. “If this is some sort of pun or play on words I’m going to be mad.”

“I didn’t intend it that way,” Terra said, shrugging.

“Whatever,” Vanitas groused. He looked away. “Look, if… if it’s too much, or if you need to stop, don’t try to tough it out, okay?”

“All right,” Terra agreed. Vanitas took a deep breath, and held up his arms, palms facing up.

A small orb of darkness curled into being in his palms. He locked eyes with Terra. “Catch.”

As the ball landed in Terra’s hands, he could feel it. The cold, yet warm sensation, the _temptation_, the tug of untold power at a price that was surely reasonable. He could just reach out and –

If he just –

There was –

With effort, he tossed the ball back at Vanitas, panting. The boy caught it, and made it dissipate.

“Boy, you’ve really got it bad, huh?” he said. Idly, Terra wondered if Vanitas was registering the concern in his own voice.

“Used to be worse,” he mumbled. “Now I know better.”

“I’d be the last person to say not to be cautious,” Vanitas said, “but you’ve got to keep at it. It’s not going to corrupt you; it’s just me.”

Terra snorted. “It’s funny to me that you say that.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Vanitas grumbled. “…sit in the sun for a couple minutes, then we’ll try again.”

Terra sat back. “No, hit me again.”

“Sometimes I want to,” Vanitas muttered, but made the ball again anyway. “Ready?”

Grimly, Terra nodded. Vanitas threw the ball again, and Terra gritted his teeth as he caught it, striving to not get caught up in it, striving to understand.

It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one's asked anything about Maleficent yet and I'm simultaneously a little surprised and proud of you all for being patient. (Did I say "after Xehanort" about her? I forget) She'll have her day; but we can only have one Big Bad at once for them to actually be a threat. Riku's mommy issues as regards Maleficent are something that'll also be touched on eventually.  
This was the chapter where I finally figured out how I wanted to write Terra. He gets compared to Anakin Skywalker a lot; at least in discussions I'm involved in. Good guy tempted by a trusted (evil) mentor to the Dark<strike> Side</strike>ness and drawing upon its power to save his loved ones, only to have it blow up in his face and doom them instead because of his actions. So I decided to take the comparison one step further. In the The Clone Wars animated series (have to specify "the" Clone Wars because "Clone Wars" without the "the" is an entirely different series), Anakin is shown to be level-headed, calm under fire, and a good mentor and big brother-figure. This contrasts with Revenge of the Sith, during which Anakin is having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad (three) day(s). Thus, I decided it was reasonable to assume that Terra would behave similarly under normal circumstances, and that like RotS for Anakin, BBS was Terra pushed to the end of his metaphorical tether in terms of behaviour. Under normal circumstances, Terra is a big brother elemental. Much to everyone's chagrin.  
Ah, right, one more thing. Chalk up another on the pile of "Disney movies I haven't seen...recently". We definitely used to have a copy of Sleeping Beauty on VHS, but it's been a long, long time since I've seen it.   
Short notes this time, but there's not really much to comment on. Next week, we're heading back to... ugh, _fucking Agrabah_. Well, on the bright side, I'm not going to make us wade through the desert for 20+ missions.  
Until next time!


	4. Jasmine

“What do you mean we missed your _wedding!?_” Sora said, mortified.

Jasmine laughed. “Oh, don’t be upset, Sora. We had no way of getting a message to you, but we would have if we could.”

“Still, congratulations!” Kairi said. “Was it a nice ceremony?”

The smile froze on Jasmine’s face. “It was… once it finally got underway.”

Kairi frowned. “Did something happen?”

“Aladdin’s father turned up.”

“Well, that’s nice!” Sora said.

“He turned out to be the leader of a ring of thieves that used the ceremony as a distraction to try to steal an ancient treasure.”

“Oh…” Sora said.

“But, Aladdin was able to reconnect with him for the first time in his life.”

“Ah, that’s nice!” Sora said.

“But the thieves tossed him out when he realized he actually cared more about Aladdin than about the treasure they were trying to find.”

“Oh…” said Sora.

“Wait, I thought they stole the treasure from you?” Kairi asked.

Jasmine shook her head. “No, what they stole from us was an oracle that could tell them where a city on the back of a giant turtle was, and the treasure they wanted was in that city. Anyway, his father gave up the treasure to save Aladdin’s life.”

“That’s nice!” said Sora.

“But he and Iago decided to leave to travel the world, since he’s still technically a wanted criminal,” Jasmine finished.

“Oh…” said Sora. “Well… at least he wasn’t evil?”

Jasmine chuckled. “There is that, yes. So what brings you here? I assume it wasn’t to pull at Carpet’s tassels?” She indicated the air off the balcony they were sitting on, where Aladdin and the Magic Carpet were in the middle of a race against Ven on his glider. On a lower balcony, the Genie and Goofy were in the middle of colour commentary, and attempting without success to get Riku and Donald to join in.

Riku had been on edge when they’d first arrived, not sure how welcomed he’d be considering what he’d done the last time he was here. To his surprise (but not to Kairi or Sora’s), Jasmine had received him warmly, reminding him that he’d been misled by Maleficent, and telling him that she didn’t hold it against him.

“Well…” Kairi laid out Isa’s circumstances, and the point of their journey to visit the other Princesses of Heart. Unfortunately, by the time she finished, Jasmine was frowning and shaking her head.

“I’m afraid I don’t know any more about being a Princess of Heart than you do, Kairi,” she said.

Kairi sighed. “I’d say I was disappointed, but for that to be true, I’d have to be surprised. It really seems like we were all tossed into this without any sort of explanation, from anyone.”

“It does,” Jasmine agreed. “But… I still think you’re doing the right thing.”

“The right thing as in…?” Kairi asked, confused.

“Travelling around and comparing experiences with other people,” Jasmine clarified. “Rather than just sitting around and waiting for others to make the choice for you.”

“Yeah. I’ve been left behind before while other people went to save the worlds,” Kairi said. “It’s not fun.” She placed her hand over Sora’s before the boy could apologize again. They’d been over this.

Jasmine nodded. “There’s power in being able to choose for yourself. Your intent and your drive to achieve what you want are central. If I hadn’t put my foot down, I’d have never met Aladdin, and my father might still be under Jafar’s spell.”

Sora nodded. “Personal choice matters a whole bunch!”

“Choice, huh?” Kairi said, smiling. She certainly agreed. It was telling that Isa’s return to Xehanort’s side hadn’t been his choice. She was pretty sure she knew where his heart truly lay.

There was a blast of wind as Ven and Aladdin blew past the balcony, messing up all of their hair. “Ven! Be more careful!” Sora admonished. His hair had been blown into the complete opposite pattern, the spikes now pointing the other way. Jasmine and Kairi caught each other’s eyes and choked back laughter.

They decided to stay in Agrabah for the night, at the Sultan’s insistence. He put them in two rooms, at Kairi’s insistence; herself, Sora, and Riku in one, and Donald, Goofy, and Ven in the other. Both rooms had balconies that looked out over Agrabah, and it was there that Ven was standing, looking out over the few light sources that dotted the city. He sighed.

It wasn’t that he was having a hard time sleeping, the beds were more than comfortable. It was… it was…

“Hey, you’re up awfully high for someone looking so down!” came a cheery voice, though muted somewhat given the late hour. Ven started backwards as the Genie rose from below the balcony, settling himself on the railing and giving Ven a questioning look. “Ven, right? Short for Ventus? Glad you specified that, ‘Tus’ is a terrible nickname for someone.”

“Uh, yeah,” Ven said, confused. “What do you mean, ‘down’? I’m not–”

“Feeling blue?” Genie asked. “Ven, I know a lot about being blue, and trust me, it ain’t easy!” For a second, his head transformed into that of a frog for reasons that escaped Ven. “Something’s eating at you, kid, I can tell. And hey, if you need someone to listen, I’m all ears!” Genie leaned back on the balcony, crossed his legs, adjusted a pair of glasses he hadn’t been wearing earlier, and licked the tip of a pencil before placing it against a clipboard. Ven was just grateful he hadn’t covered his head in ears.

Ven sighed again. “It’s about… Sora, Kairi, and Riku. Not that I have a problem with them or anything!” he added, hastily, “But… I get a bit…”

“Jealous?” Genie suggested.

“…No,” Ven said. He sighed again, and moved over to lean on the balcony. “Envious. Sort of.”

“Hmmm. In what way?” Genie asked. His pencil moved across the clipboard in a way that looked to Ven like he had just lost a game of tic-tac-toe against himself.

“…Seeing them together, usually, is nice,” Ven said, carefully, thinking his feelings through as he gave voice to them. “They’re all… so close to each other, despite everything they’ve been through. It’s a deeper connection than friendship and… and sometimes I’d like to have that with someone, someday. I don’t know who yet, though. And I’m not exactly in a position to find someone.”

“Oh, I get it. You wanna fall in love!” Genie said. “Isn’t that just adorable! Don’t worry, Ven, the ladies will just eat you up! Or the gentlemen! Or both! Or… neither?” he trailed off. Ven was shaking his head, looking a bit queasy.

“That’s the thing, Genie. I said… _sometimes_. There are other times when…” Ven trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it. “There are… _things_, that I _know_ they do with each other, that…” His lips screwed up in disgust.

Genie’s eyes widened. “Oh, is _that _the problem?” The clipboard, pencil, and glasses vanished. “Ven, any romantic relationship is an ongoing conversation between the people involved, and one of the first things you gotta lay down is what you are and aren’t comfortable with.”

Ven pulled his arms in. “But… what if I’m not comfortable with… _any_ of that stuff?” he nearly whispered.

Gently, Genie reached out and Ven let him wrap his arm around him. “Wanna know a secret, kid? Nothing says you have to be.”

“But… if the other person wants…”

“Then it’s very simple,” Genie said. “You just tell her… or him… or them… the _truth_.” There was a quiet detonation behind him and the word “TRUTH” lit up as fireworks above his head. “If they don’t respect your boundaries, they aren’t worth your time.”

Ven leaned against Genie, grateful for the contact. “But… it feels like it’s gonna be impossible to find someone like that,” he said.

“Impossible?” Genie scoffed. “Ven, here’s another little secret. The worlds are full of zanies and fools, who don’t believe in sensible rules, and won’t believe what sensible people say.” For some reason, he’d sprouted a dress and fairy wings. “And, because these daft and dewey-eyed dopes keep building up impossible hopes, ‘impossible’ things are happening every day! You mean to tell me you’ve never seen a yellow pumpkin become a golden carriage?”

“…No?” Ven asked. “It was an orange pumpkin and a baby blue carriage.” He didn’t bother asking how Genie knew about Cinderella. Something told him he wouldn’t like the answer.

“Eh, details,” Genie said dismissively. “Look, Ven.” He leaned back and waved his free hand towards the sky. “See how many worlds there are out there?”

“Yeah?”

“You mean to tell me that with all those people in all those worlds, there isn’t gonna be one person who’ll love you on your terms?”

“… I guess you’re right,” Ven said, smiling for the first time. “But… how do I find them?”

“Well, I _say_ one person, but it’s probably a whole lot more than that. And it’s a simple solution: you’ve just gotta start looking. It might take a while, but that’s better than not looking, right?”

“What if…” Ven’s voice was very quiet. “What if I get it wrong?”

Genie’s face fell. “Ven… I’m sorry, but that might happen.” His topknot slid down to the sides of his head, mimicking a bald spot, as a uniform-esque tunic with a delta-shaped badge formed on his chest. “It’s possible to do everything right and still fail. That is not weakness, that is life,” he said, in the tones of a British man not even bothering to try to sound French. “You might be lucky enough to avoid heartbreak, but… it’s not guaranteed that you won’t,” he added, attire and voice going back to normal.

“What do I do then?” Ven asked.

“Try again,” Genie said, simply. “It’s all you can do. And keep trying until it works out. If you make mistakes, learn from them. If you do everything right and it doesn’t work out, don’t let it get you down. Try, try again.”

“It’s that simple?”

“Oh, nothing about trying again is simple,” Genie said. “But it’s all we can do.”

Ven considered this, and smiled. “Thanks, Genie.”

“Any time, kid.”

Terra pushed the door open and stopped. Lea didn’t look up from his contemplation of Isa’s sleeping face.

His lessons with Vanitas were progressing, but right now, there was something else he needed to address. Roxas and Xion would probably also be conversations he needed to have at a later date, but there were ten years of history to be addressed between himself and the two men in the room. Which was a little awkward when one of them was in a magical coma. But, he’d start with what he could.

“I… can leave if you’d rather not deal with me,” Terra offered.

Lea still didn’t look up. “Deal with you, huh?”

“Yeah… I can’t imagine this isn’t weird for you,” Terra said, scratching the back of his head.

“Now, why would it be weird?” Lea asked, humourlessly.

Terra flinched. “Is that… a rhetorical question, or…?”

“No, a rhetorical question implies I want to keep talking. I was done,” Lea said.

“Ah. I see,” Terra said. The awkward silence descended.

“I’m sorry,” Terra said eventually.

Lea jerked up in surprise, finally looking at him. “You’re what?”

“I’m sorry,” Terra repeated. “For everything that happened to you; to both of you.” He indicated Isa. “It’s my fault, and I’m–”

“No.” Lea was shaking his head. “Don’t fucking do that. You’re not responsible for the shit Xehanort did with your body.” He grimaced. “Light, that sounds disgusting when I say it out loud. Look, I don’t hold it against you. You weren’t in the driver’s seat, there’s nothing you could’ve done, it’s not your fault. Happy?”

“No,” said Terra. “I still feel guilty. If I hadn’t been tricked, none of this would have happened to the two of you. And I know,” he added, as Lea opened his mouth to protest, “that’s Xehanort’s fault, not mine. But I have to take some responsibility. Otherwise…” he looked away.

“…otherwise,” Lea murmured, “it’s like saying nothing you did would’ve mattered. The bad shit would still have happened to you, no matter what you did.”

“…Yeah,” Terra admitted. “That’s exactly it.”

“You know, most people take comfort in the idea that they couldn’t have changed their shit circumstances. Takes a load off their minds,” Lea said.

Terra shrugged. “I’d rather try to be better than I was before.”

“You being better wouldn’t have changed anything, really,” Lea pointed out.

“I know that. But I can be better now, so I will,” said Terra. “And part of that is admitting how I messed up; and who I hurt in the process.” He jumped a bit, startled, as Lea started to laugh.

“Gotta say, Terra, you’re not what I was expecting,” Lea said.

“I don’t think you ever met me,” Terra replied, smirking just a tiny bit.

“I didn’t, did I?” Lea agreed. “I wasn’t sure how different from Xemnas you’d be, but I’m happy to see it’s quite a bit different. Most of that was Xehanort, huh?”

“Most of it,” Terra said, nodding. “Though when I think back over Xemnas’s actions, I do see a bit of myself.”

Lea raised an eyebrow. “You remember being Xemnas? I thought your heart was with Ansem?”

“Yes, but my brain was with Xemnas. So his memories are, to some extent, my memories,” Terra explained.

“What do brains have to do with memories?” Lea asked, sounding confused.

Terra blinked, suddenly remembering that Lea’s formal education had ended at age 15. “A whole lot, actu–” he started saying, but he was cut off by another laugh from Lea.

“I’m just fucking with you; makes sense,” he said. “So you remember it all? Everything from the Organization?”

“Not everything,” Terra admitted. “Some things more vividly than others. Since I wasn’t ‘there’ in the normal sense, it’s more like remembering things I didn’t realize I already knew. Some of it’s coming back in dreams, others in flashes, and a lot of it is very fuzzy. Mostly I remember speeches… and something about Kingdom Hearts.”

“Yeah, there was a lot of speechifying over ten years,” Lea muttered, then seemed to realize something. “Hey, that reminds me. Did Xemnas want to fuck Kingdom Hearts or what?”

“Ex-excuse me?” Terra blurted, shocked.

Lea shrugged. “He talked about it. A lot. Very reverently. Occasionally we’d see him gazing out the window at it. I had a bet running. So?”

“Not… to… my… knowledge,” Terra managed.

“Damn,” Lea muttered. “Now I owe Demyx 500 munney.”

Terra blinked. “Why… why were you…”

Lea shrugged. “Why not? What else were we going to do? Speculating about our boss’s possible paraphilia was a quick and easy team bonding exercise.”

“If… you say so,” Terra said, still a little concerned. “You’re not… still doing things like that, are you?”

“Huh? Oh, no, of course not. I actually respect Yen Sid. Dude’s private life is his own business and I want zero details.” Lea shifted position in his chair. “Can’t really speculate about anyone else’s, either, since everyone except me and Aqua are underage and I _don’t_ want to know.”

“That seems like a healthy attitude to take,” Terra said. His expression softened as he attempted to change the subject. “So… how are you holding up, regarding…” he gestured towards Isa.

Lea seemed to seize up somewhat. “Oh, you know,” he said, stiffly. “Sitting around, waiting, hoping Kairi can pull a miracle out of her kitty hood. All sunshine and rainbows here.”

“Yeah, that’s about what I expected,” Terra said. Something about Lea’s demeanor made him feel like words of sympathy would only close him off further. This was a waiting game.

He didn’t have to wait long. “It sucks,” Lea muttered. “I talk a big game about getting him back, and Sora and Vanitas wind up doing the heavy lifting picking him up, and Kairi’s the one working on freeing him from Xehanort. And here I am, feeling shitty next to his bed.”

“If it’s anything like my experience, this is helping. And Kairi will probably still need you once she figures out what to do,” Terra said. “It was my links to Aqua and Ven that kept me around… kept me sane. I had them; Isa has you.”

“Xehanort says I abandoned him for Roxas and Xion,” Lea spat.

“Take it from the old pro at listening to Xehanort when you shouldn’t,” said Terra. “Don’t listen. You’re right here, right now. You haven’t abandoned him. And I don’t believe he thinks you abandoned him.”

“I pushed him away when he needed me,” Lea muttered.

Terra shrugged. “You both had the emotional maturity of fifteen-year-olds. You couldn’t have noticed what was happening to him even if you knew something was wrong. And he didn’t know how to reach out and make you understand. That’s not something either of you have to blame yourself over.”

“Yeah, but sometimes I’d rather take responsibility than think I’m just the plaything of fate,” Lea said, mocking. Terra didn’t react. Lea sighed. “There’s no easy answer to this.”

“No, there isn’t,” Terra said. “But you’ll get to one. I know you will.”

Lea sniffed, and rubbed at something in his eye. “Shit. Are you going to be usurping my big brother position, too?” he quipped, but Terra could tell it was in good humour.

“I do have more experience,” Terra pointed out, a teasing tone in his voice. “And from what I hear, you’re more the team dad, anyway.”

That one earned him a glare. “Do I honestly look like someone cut out to be a father?” Lea asked, half-serious. “You realize I subsisted for years on ice cream and nothing else, right? And passed those bad habits onto the kids I was taking care of?”

“Do you? Sure. Maybe not right now, but… you’ve done a good job so far,” Terra said.

To Terra’s mild dismay, the colour red Lea turned wasn’t the same colour as his hair. Lea sputtered for a few seconds before finally grunting out a gruff, “Yeah, sure.”

And then, a couple seconds later and even quieter, a “Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the task of writing a convincing Robin Williams is the hardest challenge I've set myself yet, and I'm not sure I succeeded. I am sure, however, that I at least hit a convincing Dan Castellaneta. There's a clear difference, at least to me, in that Robin Williams wasn't doing a voice. Well, yes, technically he was for the impressions, but what I mean is that since he was speaking in his natural voice, there was a depth to his performance as Genie that Dan Castellaneta doesn't match. Now, I haven't seen the Aladdin TV show, so I'm speaking from Kingdom Hearts and fuzzy memories of Return of Jafar, but with Dan Castellaneta there don't seem to be any of the quiet moments; the bits where Genie tries to gently convince Aladdin to do the right thing. That's what I was trying to capture here.  
What's this? A Disney movie that one of the Princesses of Heart is from that I've actually seen?! Impossible! But yes, I'm much more familiar with Aladdin than I am with almost all the others, save one in particular.   
I actually had to be reminded of Riku's history with the Princesses in general and Jasmine in particular, so thank you to DigitalDemon for doing so! That bit was added in after the first chapter was posted; fortunately, I had plenty of time.  
Also, though I did reference Aladdin and the King of Thieves, I'm not doing it. Because everyone and their mother has done it. I have seen it, I thought it was fine, I love me some John Rhys-Davies and Gilbert Gottfried buddy comedy, but I have nothing new to add.   
As for Terra and Lea, I don't think I have much more to say than what's there? Terra is setting himself up to be everyone's big brother _and y'all're gonna like it_.   
I think that's everything. Join us next week for some fol-de-rol and fiddly-dee that, of course, is impossible.   
Oh, and, uh, something something a wish your heart makes, or whatever.


	5. Cinderella

“Not again!” Ven groaned. “Why am I so SMALL?!”

Kairi’s party had arrived without fanfare at the Castle of Dreams, and had proceeded to make an unfortunate discovery. The last time he’d been here, Ven had wound up the size of a mouse for reasons he couldn’t explain. He’d been hoping that this time, travelling with a large group of other people, he’d stay the same size.

Unfortunately, he’d been hoping in vain.

“Huh, that’s weird,” Sora said, bending down to look at Ven fuming on the ground. “I don’t think that’s ever happened to us before.”

“What about Wonderland?” Riku asked.

Donald shook his head. “That was something in the world, not just entering it. It’s probably something to do with the morphic resonance of his–” He continued saying words, but the combination of the technical terms and his particular voice rendered his explanation incomprehensible.

“Either way, we can’t leave you down there,” Kairi said, squatting down and putting her hand out for Ven to climb on. Ven grumbled, but accepted the lift.

“It’s all right, Ven!” said Jiminy, poking his head out of Sora’s hood. “You can come hang out with me in here! If that’s okay with you, Sora?” he added, hastily.

Sora shrugged. “Yeah, sure, why not?”

Kairi gently placed Ven on Sora’s shoulder, and the miniature teen gingerly took Jiminy’s hand and slid inside Sora’s hood.

There was silence for a second, then a gasp. “Ven, you all right in there?” Riku asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Ven said, muffled by the fabric. “I just can’t believe what Jiminy has in here. Is that a pool table?”

“Yeah, okay, very funny,” Sora said, amused.

There was a cracking sound of a wooden stick hitting a phenolic resin ball. “What’s funny?” Ven asked, confused.

There was a moment of silence as the entire party decided to ignore what had just happened.

“Anyway,” Kairi said, “Cinderella lives in the castle now. Shall we?”

She linked arms with Sora and Riku, and they proceeded down the topiaried path towards the castle.

“Do you mind if I ask you something, Cinderella?” Kairi asked.

Cinderella put down the goblet she was polishing. “Of course not, Kairi. What is it?”

Kairi looked at the silverware in her hands. “…You have a whole staff who could be cleaning this. Why are you insisting on doing it yourself?”

Cinderella didn’t freeze, exactly, but she did slow in her movements. “Kairi, for a long time, cleaning the mansion for my stepfamily was all I could do. That and my inheritance were the only reasons why I didn’t find myself out on the street. It has been a long time since then, and my husband has been very patient with me, but… there are some habits that are hard to break.”

“I understand,” Kairi said. “…I’m sorry I brought it up.”

Cinderella smiled. “It’s fine. And I appreciate you all helping me.” While she and Kairi polished silverware, Ven was directing Sora, Donald, and Goofy in mopping the floor, with predictable, messy results. Riku was carrying water from the castle’s well to the room as needed (which Kairi was finding very enjoyable to watch).

“Hey, anything!” Kairi said. “Though, honestly, if that’s why you do the cleaning yourself, it’s a bit surprising to me that you’d accept the help?”

“However so?” Cinderella asked.

“Well… if it’s tied into an anxiety of yours…” Kairi said, not sure how to explain it.

“Oh, that?” Cinderella said. She’d started polishing again while they talked. “Kairi, in circumstances such as the ones I was in, when you’re simply focused on trying to make it to the next day in the hope that it will be better, sometimes the only thing you can do is accept help from others when it’s offered. Accepting help is a hard lesson to learn. And it’s one I hope I’ve kept in mind.”

Kairi considered this. “That feels… a little off, though,” she said. “Why wait for someone else to help you when you can help yourself?”

Cinderella considered her. “But I _couldn’t_ help myself,” she rebuked gently. “All I could do was make a grasp at happiness, and I needed to rely on others for that. On Jaq, on Gus, on my godmother, on Terra, on Aqua, on Ventus, on the Duke, and on my husband. It gladdens me that you’ve never found yourself in such a position, and I pray that you never will.”

Kairi looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry,” she said, subdued.

To her surprise, Cinderella laughed and took her hand. “It’s all right. If you don’t ask, how will you learn? I am sorry that I had no information on being a Princess of Heart for you, though.”

Slowly, Kairi smiled. “That’s all right. I think I’ve learned something just as important.”

Terra breathed in, and out, and the shadows surrounding him moved with his breath.

It had been several days now, and Vanitas was simultaneously loudly irritated with and quietly proud of his progress. Once Terra had gotten a handle on recognizing his darkness, it was easy for him to separate out what was and wasn’t his. He’d gotten used to the smell and feel of Vanitas’s, and now could easily tell the difference between personal darkness and dangerous Darkness. The latter wasn’t alive in the same way personal darkness was. It _was_ alive, that much was clear if you looked for it, but not in the same way.

Terra was looking forwards to comparing notes with Riku after he got back. There was a lot to talk about, that he wasn’t sure anyone who hadn’t lived it was going to get. It was very philosophical in the exact manner that Vanitas refused to engage with. Something told Terra that Riku would be more open to thinking about it.

“And well fucking done,” Vanitas said, clapping sarcastically. “How does it feel?”

“…normal, actually,” Terra admitted. “Like it’s… just another part of me.”

“Fan_tastic_,” Vanitas said, “because it _is_ just another part of you. Congratulations, Terra, you fixed what wasn’t broken.”

Slowly, Terra smiled.

“Guess the only thing to do now is stress-test it,” Vanitas said, offhand.

“Stress – what are you talking about?” Terra started to say, but leapt back in alarm as Vanitas brought his Keyblade down right were Terra had been sitting.

“Come on. You think Xehanort’s gonna let you sit in a bright room all calm for this?” Vanitas said. As he spoke, darkness leaked out of his heels and moved to block out the light from the windows. “Fight me, like this, right here and now.”

Terra still hadn’t summoned his Keyblade. “Are you sure?” he asked instead. “Blocking the light like that’s going to put you at a disadvantage. Are you sure you don’t want to just close the curtains, or…?”

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Closed curtains aren’t going to put pressure on you like being surrounded by darkness is. Besides, I don’t need to be at an advantage to beat you.” He said it casually, which impressed Terra. Vanitas might even have believed it.

He was wrong, of course.

“If you say so, Van,” Terra said. Vanitas had given him permission to use the nickname in a manner reminiscent to that of a cat begrudgingly allowing pets only on the head. “Do you want me to go easy on you?”

Vanitas’s answer was a blast of darkness that Terra only narrowly dodged. “So is that a ‘yes’, or…?” Terra teased.

The next blast was even larger.

Terra caught it on his Keyblade and tossed it aside. “Come on,” Vanitas taunted. “Prove to me you can handle this.”

“Why do I have to prove anything to you?” Terra asked in an amused tone, but it was hiding an edge of anxiety. The atmosphere in the room was getting to him.

“Fine, asshole. Prove it to yourself,” Vanitas said instead, and rushed him.

Terra caught Lost Memory on the edge of Ends of the Earth. Vanitas allowed himself to be pushed back. “Hit me!” he commanded. “Show me what you can do!”

Terra obliged him.

The blast of darkness slammed into Vanitas’s Keyblade. Vanitas grunted, bracing himself against the stream, emerald eyes alight, a feral grin stretching the corners of his mouth. “Now that’s more fucking like it!” he yelled. “Again!”

Terra’s stream of darkness broke off, and Terra quickly recentred himself. That wasn’t difficult, it was merely applying what he’d been taught all his life to this new technique. He launched another blast at Vanitas.

“Second verse, same as the – what?” Vanitas gasped, as the darkness he was planning to intercept dipped, changing its path like a whip.

Terra shrugged. “Can’t keep doing something that doesn’t work,” he said.

The coil of darkness flipped up under Vanitas’s guard and struck him in the face. Vanitas, caught off guard, fell over backwards. Terra was on him in an instant, Keyblade pointed at his face. Both were panting heavily. “How was that?” Terra asked, grinning.

“Not bad,” Vanitas admitted, poking gingerly at the black eye that was starting to form.

The doors suddenly burst inwards, revealing Aqua with her Keyblade held loosely, as if she wasn’t sure she needed it. “The walls were covered in darkness, are you all…” she trailed off, taking in the scene. “Were you two fighting?”

Terra banished his Keyblade and offered Vanitas a hand up, and wasn’t surprised when the teen ignored it and rose under his own power. “Yeah. He’s gotta be able to keep control in combat,” Vanitas said by way of explanation. He drew in a breath and the darkness on the walls receded, drawing back into him.

Aqua rolled her eyes. “And coming at each other Keyblades swinging was the best way to do that?”

Terra shrugged. “Kind of, yeah.”

Aqua sighed. She then frowned. “Vanitas, come here.”

“What?” he demanded, on guard.

Aqua sighed again. “Your face.”

The black eye had stopped growing, but it wound up being quite large.

“What about it?” Vanitas asked. “Jealous that Terra’s hit me in the face, too?”

Aqua rolled her eyes. “Just get over here and let me heal it.”

Vanitas’s eyes widened as best they could under the circumstances, but he stepped forwards begrudgingly, ready to flinch away at the slightest provocation. Gently, Aqua placed a hand on his cheek, and cast Cure.

“Honestly,” she said as the green light faded and the black eye disappeared. “I see why you wore that helmet all the time if you got hit in the face this much.”

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, _mom_.”

Aqua’s eyes narrowed in what Terra recognized as actual anger. “Don’t _call_ me that.”

Vanitas shrugged. “Fine. Fuck off, _bitch_.”

“Hey!” Terra said, putting a hand on Vanitas’s shoulder. He let it hang for a moment before continuing, “What did I tell you about calling your mother a bitch?”

“Terra!” Aqua shouted, flushing. Terra let the grin spread over his cheeks.

Vanitas, to Terra’s extreme amusement, was also blushing. “I should’ve let you get consumed by your darkness,” he muttered.

Terra laughed. It was good to be back.

“I take it this means that you’re feeling like yourself again?” Aqua said, glaring at him.

Terra’s grin turned into a genuine smile. “Yep. Never better. All thanks to Van here.” “Fuck off,” Vanitas grumbled.

“And I appreciate everything you’ve done,” Terra added. If it were Ven, he’d have ruffled the shorter boy’s hair; but Vanitas wasn’t Ven, and wouldn’t have been okay with it.

“…fuck off,” Vanitas repeated, but it was quieter and Terra was pretty sure he was blushing again.

Aqua sighed, but smiled. “Welcome home, Terra.”

Terra smiled back. “Thanks, Aqua. It’s good to be home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The sweetest sounds_  
_I've ever heard_  
_Are still inside my head..._  
Welcome to the final movie involved in this fic that I haven't seen whatsoever. I have an interesting relationship with Cinderella. I haven't seen the Disney movie... but I was in a production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical. As you might have been able to tell from all the quotes. For this reason, this won't be the last time we see the Castle of Dreams... although it'll be quite a while.  
The pool table gag was shamelessly stolen from Dragon Ball Z Abridged, though in fairness to me their version of the joke involved the inside of someone's head, not a pocket dimension.  
As for Cinderella herself, I don't think there's anything I can say that hasn't already been said by people more qualified to do so. The critique that she didn't do anything to improve her situation, and things just happened _to_ and _around_ her, is bunk. Making a grasp for happiness under circumstances like hers takes great strength. Kairi and I have both never had to experience that firsthand, and I hope none of you do, either.  
On to Terra's side of things! First off, if you haven't seen Death by Moves, do yourself a favour and [go watch Death by Moves](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loo4e2FMrhQ). This is pretty much the end of Terra's story in this fic; there's a bit more in each of the last two chapters, but they'll be much shorter (and the Kairi sections will be much longer). Terra's pretty much got his darkness handled now, as well as Vanitas and Riku have theirs. Short, I know, but I want to get on with the business of Terra being okay.  
And it looks like Vanitas has made another friend! He just can't help it! No matter how much he hates it!  
Next week... _oh, it needs no announcing_  
_just how many hearts this tale has moved_  
_Even if they fail pronouncing_  
_the name Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve..._


	6. Belle

“Vanitas.”

Vanitas stopped in the middle of the hallway, rolling his eyes as he turned around. “What, Aqua?”

Aqua stopped a couple paces away from him, an expression Vanitas couldn’t read on her face. “I… I need to talk to you.”

“Oh, what did I do now?” Vanitas grumbled, leaning against the wall in preparation for a lecture.

“…You helped Terra,” Aqua said. She looked down, avoiding his eyes.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, and?”

Aqua’s lip twisted. “You… didn’t have to,” she said.

“…You know what?” Vanitas said. “Yeah, I _did_ have to. No one else could.”

Aqua grimaced. “…You really have changed, haven’t you,” she murmured, half to herself.

“Huh?” Vanitas asked, but Aqua continued without clarifying.

“You offered to help Terra, just because he needed help,” she said. “Even after everything that’s happened between you and the three of us. That’s… telling. And I think I… could be wrong about you.”

Vanitas stared at her like she’d suddenly sprouted a second head. “So… I wanted to thank you. For my brother.” And slowly, she held out her hand.

Vanitas blinked at her. “I… it was just…”

“The right thing to do?” Aqua said, smirking somewhat.

Vanitas’s eyes narrowed. “Fuck off.”

She didn’t rise to it. “That’s what I thought.”

The hand, outstretched, remained between them. Vanitas looked away, but slowly reached out with his own hand and took Aqua’s.

“Thank you for what you did for us,” Aqua said, quietly.

Vanitas still couldn’t look at her. “…I don’t know how to respond to this,” he mumbled.

To his shock, Aqua smiled. “That’s okay,” she said.

Something in Vanitas’s stomach did a flip. He realized he’d been holding her hand for an oddly long while. Embarrassed, he jerked back. “Whatever,” he muttered.

Aqua, to his confusion, chuckled a bit. “I have time later if you want to do another spelling lesson.”

“…sure,” Vanitas said, still distracted trying to figure out what had just happened in his gut. “I’ll be there.”

Aqua smiled again. “See you then.” She walked away down the corridor, leaving Vanitas standing there, clutching his hand to his chest.

Her hand had been warm.

He shook himself, willing away the confusing feelings. “Must’ve been something I ate,” he mumbled to himself, and continued the way he’d been going.

But try as he might, he couldn’t shake that strange feeling.

“Sora! Donald! Goofy! _Alors_, it is good to see you again!”

“Heya, Lumière!” Sora grinned. “It’s been a while, huh? How are you all doing?”

“Ah, quite well, quite well,” said the candelabra. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had explained the predicament of the inhabitants of the Beast’s Castle to Kairi, Riku, and Ven before they’d arrived, so the talking furniture hadn’t come as too much of a surprise. “Belle and the Master, they have been warming up to each other more and more! Although…”

“Although?” Kairi asked, squatting down to get closer to Lumière.

“Eh… Well, tonight was supposed to be a special occasion for the two of them, a fine dinner, a dance, but…” Lumière looked down, uncomfortable. “I’m afraid we have a slight… problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Riku asked.

“Well… eh…”

The dining room door flew open, revealing Sora, Kairi, Riku, Ven, Donald, and Goofy, all with their weapons ready. At the table, three people sat: Belle, in a golden ball gown, with an unamused expression; the Beast, in a blue suit, holding back a snarl; and at the head of the table, a figure all in black, clutching a wine glass, with a delighted smile on his face.

“Ah, hello everyone,” said the man. “I hope you realize that it’s incredibly gauche to bare weapons at the dinner table.” He sipped the wine.

Kairi stepped forward, fury in her eyes. “What are _you_ doing here, _Xemnas_?!” she demanded.

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. “The candelabra informed me that I was a _guest_,” he said, swirling the wine in the glass.

The group looked over at Lumière, who shrugged, chuckling, as melted wax ran down his face. “I… may have gotten a bit carried away?”

“That’s _one_ was of phrasing it,” muttered Cogsworth, who had sidled up next to them.

“However,” Xemnas continued, ignoring them, “if you are enquiring as to my mission here, I was assigned to bring the fallen prince of this castle into our fold.” He indicated the Beast with his free hand.

The Beast snarled. “And I told you, there is no way I would _ever_ work with you.”

“Yes, yes,” Xemnas said, dismissively. “Your compliance, while welcome, would not be an issue… save for the magic worked on your heart by this world’s resident Princess of Heart.” He indicated Belle, who gave him a glare that matched the Beast’s own. “As such, I thought that I would accept the invitation to dinner, and then return to report my failure.”

“Still looking for that thirteenth vessel, huh?” Sora challenged. None of them had put away their weapons.

“Thirteenth, twelfth, and eleventh,” Xemnas said. “You have posed us a great challenge, Sora. Though I assure you we will rise to meet it.”

“Wait, you’re missing _three_?” Sora asked, confused. He and Goofy both began counting on their fingers, quietly comparing notes.

“Yeah, Terra, Isa, and they didn’t have the thirteenth to begin with,” Riku reminded him.

“Indeed,” Xemnas drawled. “The loss of Saïx was… unforeseen. As was the existence of Number XIV, and the allegiance of Vanitas. But I trust we have uncovered all of your surprises.”

Ven blinked. “Why would we… tell you that?”

Xemnas smiled. “Perhaps it is the wine talking.”

“All you’ve done is wave around the single glass since you got here,” the Beast grumbled.

“Ah, yes. It is a fine vintage; I am not surprised. Only the best for a treasured guest, no?”

The Beast let out a long sigh that was only a growl if you squinted.

The door to the kitchen opened, and a teapot stuck her head out. “Lumière!” Mrs. Potts called. “The dinner is almost ready!”

“Mrs. Potts!” Lumière called. “May I impose on you for an additional…” he quickly counted, “Six place settings?”

“In addition to the extra one we had already?” Mrs. Potts asked. There was a note of reproach in her tone. Lumière winced.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” he said. “We have additional guests.”

“Well, who–” Mrs. Potts started, then noticed Sora et al. “Oh! Sora! Donald Goofy! I didn’t realize it was you!”

“Hi, Mrs. Potts,” Sora said, weakly, putting away his Keyblade.

“I’ll get right on those extra settings, you just make yourselves comfortable! Oh, and is this Kairi, and Riku? And… hang on, have I seen you before, young man?” Mrs. Potts looked at Ven inquisitively.

“You are likely confusing him for Roxas, my former subordinate,” Xemnas interjected. “This is Ventus, whose likeness Roxas’s was based upon.”

“Hi,” Ven deadpanned, glaring at Xemnas, who smirked.

“Yes, and thereby hangs a tale, I’m sure.” Cogsworth said. “But, before dinner, you must wash up. And put those Keyblades away! We’re all… _friends_, here.” The word “friends” was stressed like it had been ripped out of his clockwork with great effort.

Kairi banished her Keyblade. “Well… I guess we’re having dinner.”

The dinner was… The meal was… There was absolutely nothing wrong with the _food_. It was delicious, far better than anything any of them had had in months; while the Tower could create food, meals still required cooking, and some were better at that than others. And yet none of them could hold a candle to the candles.

The _performance_ was also excellent, a culinary cabaret of the highest calibre. Dinner and a show, who could ask for more? Kairi wasn’t exactly sure what a “France” was, but obviously they took their cuisine seriously.

No, the problem was the _company_. It was wonderful to see Belle and the Beast again, but the ever-presence of Xemnas put a damper on the whole evening. The worst part of it was that the bastard was infinitely charming. If he hadn’t been who he was, if he had just been some stranger they’d met, Kairi might have even _liked_ the fucker.

The feeling seemed mutual around the table. Steady glares and unamused looks followed Xemnas as he raconteured, inquiring after Sora and Riku’s health following their fight two years ago, and how they had returned to their Islands. They did make an effort to be polite, but there was an air of suspicion in every answer, which Xemnas seemed to ignore. He also, to Ven’s carefully disguised irritation, inquired after Terra’s health and recovery. The line of inquiry was full of the hidden barb of the question that remained unasked: why was Ventus here, and not by his side?

Riku and Kairi did make attempts to get information out of Xemnas, but the man was deft and subtle, and was able to avoid any actual answers, all the while giving off the impression that he was enjoying the verbal jousting tremendously; ‘winning’ on multiple levels.

After the final course, Xemnas rose. “While this has been a delightful distraction, I am not blind as to the consternation my presence has caused at this gathering. As such, I find it prudent to take my leave. I would like to extend my thanks to our gracious hosts, who have opened their doors to me and held to their honour in their treatment of my person. And also to my fellow visitors, who have remained decidedly civil in all things, despite… unpleasant prior history we may all have. As well, to the delightful staff, who performed admirably and with the greatest aplomb their duties, leaving no doubt as to their professional skill and personal dedication. And last, but certainly not least, to the vintner.” He held up his glass, which was somehow still mostly full despite the fact that he’d been sipping at it all night. He hadn’t even put it down to use his silverware. It was oddly and infuriatingly impressive. (Kairi and the other teens hadn’t been allowed to touch the wine, due to their ages, and Donald and Goofy had abstained.)

“Are you sure you have to go,” the Beast deadpanned.

Xemnas smiled. “I’m afraid so. I have pressing business elsewhere. Fear not, though; I shall not darken your door again.” His smile was such that Kairi wondered if it was an intentional pun. From the look on Riku’s face, in his mind there was no doubt it was intentional.

“A fair evening to you all,” Xemnas continued, stepping away from the table. A Dark Corridor rose up behind him, and he gave one last wave with the wine glass.

“Hey, that’s not yours to–!” Cogsworth shouted, but the Corridor closed and Xemnas was gone.

“Well, at least the silverware are all still here, _non?_” Lumière offered. Cogsworth shot him a look, until Mrs. Potts cleared her throat and directed their attention back to Belle and the Beast. “Ah, yes. Master, should we take a second to–?”

“I believe that would be for the best, yes,” the Beast said, hurriedly. “Belle, if – if you don’t mind–?”

“Of course not,” she said, smiling at him. Kairi’s eyes widened, and she began to grin. “Take all the time you need, I have some catching up to do.”

The Beast nodded stiffly, then let Lumière and Cogsworth rush him out of the room as the tableware began clearing itself. Belle watched them go, smiling softly, until she noticed Kairi’s grin. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” Kairi said. “Things going… well?” She leaned over the table, still grinning.

Belle frowned, then blushed. “Yes. Yes, you could say that.” She sat back and sighed. “He had the night all planned… and then that Organization person showed up trying to recruit him again. I thought they’d learned their lesson the last time.”

“They’ve got a way of showing back up again when you don’t want them,” Sora agreed. “How have you been, Belle? Things seem a lot… brighter, around here then last time.”

“You could say that,” Belle agreed, and told them what had transpired since the last time Sora had been there; apparently, it hadn’t been nearly as long for them. There had been some business with the castle’s composer, but that had been resolved in short order, and without notable incident.

“You two seem to have gotten closer, huh?” Kairi asked, still grinning. Sora looked at her inquisitively, and Riku rolled his eyes.

“W-well,” Belle stammered, “when someone breaks through the world border in an attempt to save you, clearly it indicates that there may be more to them than first impressions would indicate.”

“Uh-huh,” Kairi said, still smirking. “‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, huh?”

“…No,” Belle said, shaking her head.

Kairi blinked. “No?”

Belle clasped her hands together. “On the outside, the Beast is horrifying, huge, monstrous… and when we first met, he was the same on the inside. It’s why this curse this castle is under happened; the enchantress who laid it made him as monstrous on the outside as he was on the inside. But… he’s different, now. He’s sweet, almost kind. It was slow, and subtle, and sometimes I thought I was imagining it. But the more time we’ve spent together, the gentler he’s become. So, no, Kairi. This isn’t a case of not judging a book by its cover. Rather, I’d say that… everyone, no matter how… ‘beastly’, has the capacity to change.”

Slowly, Ven smiled. “I think I have to agree to that.”

Kairi laughed. “You make a good point.”

There was the sound of a pendulum clock clearing its throat. They looked up to see Cogsworth outlined in the doorway. “Your gentleman… awaits,” he said, and beamed.

The group followed a couple paces behind Belle as she moved to the door. The lighting was soft, and none of them said a word, not wanting to disturb the magic of the moment.

The Beast, with a large smile on his face, was waiting by the door to the ballroom. Belle moved to meet him, and smiling, took his hand.

Music provided by the castle’s residents swelled, and the two began to dance.

“And what about you, eh?” Lumière asked, nudging Sora with his elbow. “Care to join in?”

“Are you sure?” Sora asked in return. “Isn’t this kinda special for the two of them?”

“Well, stay to this end of the room and things should be fine,” Cogsworth said, considering. Belle and the Beast looked to be off in their own little world, anyway.

“All right,” said Riku, and to Sora and Kairi’s surprise, turned to Ven. “Want to dance?” he asked, a slight smile on his face.

Ven’s cheeks turned faintly pink. “W-what? Huh?” he asked. “But what about…” he waved his hand at Sora and Kairi.

Riku shrugged. “You can’t waltz with three people. We’ve tried,” he said. “And I don’t want you to feel left out. Sora and Kairi can have the first dance, we’ll trade off later. Unless you don’t want to…?” he added, questioning.

“No!” Ven blurted. “No, that’s fine, I… sure!” His face was bright red now, and Sora and Kairi held back giggles. Ven took Riku’s hand, and the two stepped out onto the ballroom floor.

“Shall we?” Kairi asked Sora, offering him her hand.

Sora did a mock bow. “Of course, Princess.”

Beet red, Kairi let him pull her into his arms.

The couples delineated slow circles as they moved around the ballroom, Donald, Goofy, Lumière, and Cogsworth quietly cheering them on from the sidelines as Mrs. Potts sang. When it felt right, Riku and Ven broke off, and Kairi and Sora split as well, Kairi now leading Ven while Sora nestled into Riku’s arms.

It was much later, and after another partner swap had left Ven steering Sora and Kairi cuddled against Riku’s chest, that they noticed Belle and the Beast had left the floor.

The two had retreated to the balcony beyond the French doors at the back of the room. Unanimously, they all agreed not to disturb them, sensing that the conversation was one that had been coming a long time. Kairi shared a triumphant smile with Lumière.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by Belle tearing back into the room with terror in her eyes, clutching a hand mirror that glowed a faint green.

“Belle, what’s wrong?” Sora asked.

“My father!” Belle said, in a tone that moved past worried and edged towards terrified. “He’s lost in the woods, and he’s sick! I’m sorry, please excuse me, I have to go–!” And with that, she blew past them, not letting any of them get a word in edgewise.

“What the–” Kairi started to say, until the Beast lumbered by. “Beast! What happened?”

“…I let her go,” the Beast murmured. He was staring at his hands in sadness.

“You what?” Cogsworth broke in, shocked. “How could you do that?”

“I had to,” the Beast said. He still hadn’t looked up.

“Yes, but _why?_” Cogsworth asked again.

“Because I love her,” the Beast said, and shook himself. He took a deep breath, and stalked out of the ballroom.

“…I’m going to go talk to him,” Sora announced, and made to follow.

“Right behind you,” Kairi said, following him, with Ven and Riku trailing behind.

Unlike the rest of the castle, the west wing was still dark, lit only by the light of the single rose in its bell jar. “Beast?” Sora called as he entered. “What happened? Everything was going fine–”

“She asked to see her father again. I gave her use of a magic mirror that allows me to see the outside world. She saw he was ill, in danger. She left to assist him.” The Beast’s voice was low and gravelly, without inflection.

“Well, okay. But she’ll come back, right?” Sora asked.

There was movement in the dark, and a single bright blue eye, filled with sorrow, regarded Sora and the rest. “Why would she? She was a prisoner, and she’s been given her freedom. She would not willingly walk back into a cage. Nor should she be in one.” The eye turned away. “No power on earth could bring her back here.”

“Not even love?” Kairi challenged.

“What love?” the Beast said. There was no anger in his tone, only defeat. “Who could ever love a beast? I was blind to think it could be otherwise.”

“But…” Kairi protested, but the Beast let out a huff of air.

“Leave me,” he said. “Leave me to my pain. It is not yours to bear.”

“But you’re our friend!” Sora started to say, then stopped. A memory swam to the fore of his mind, of someone else he’d tried to help.

_“Enough of people,” said Vanitas, “and enough of _you_.”_

Slowly, Sora sighed. “All right. But we’ll be right downstairs if you decide you do want to talk about it.”

There was no reply from the Beast. Sora turned, and Kairi and Ven followed him out of the room.

Riku, however, hung behind. “You know,” he said, “there’s an old saying on Kairi, Sora, and my home world. ‘If you love something or someone, let them go. If they come back, they’re yours.’”

“She will not come back. There’s no hope to be had. No more dream to pursue,” the Beast said. The eye wasn’t visible anymore. “There’s no point to this if she can’t love me.”

“How do you know she won’t come back?” Riku said. “…I came back, to Sora and Kairi. I didn’t think I’d make it, honestly. But they waited for me. As long as it took.”

“Riku… you do not understand,” the Beast said, with a heavy sigh. “Look to the rose.”

Frowning, Riku walked over and peered at the enchanted rose in the bell jar.

A handful of petals littered the table under it, and a scant few remained on the rose itself.

“We are out of time, Riku,” the Beast said. “This was our last chance. She cannot set me free – set any of us free. We’ve waited as long as we can. But no beauty could move me to be better. No goodness could improve me. I could not be reached by passion, nor taught by any lesson. No spirit could have won me. And now, we are out of hope. I have learned to love; but unless I am loved in return, this curse shall be eternal. Even if she returns, like you say… it will not be in time.” There was a shifting in the shadows. “She could not love me. I do not blame her for it. But I must live with it. Now, please. Leave this place.”

Riku nodded, and stepped back towards the door. “One last thing. If you truly haven’t changed; if your heart is still closed off and unreachable… do you really think you’d be hurting this badly?”

There was no response from the Beast. As Riku passed the threshold, he heard the Beast quietly say something else, intended solely for himself.

“And let the world be done with me.”

“But of _course_ she loves him back!” Kairi protested, stamping her foot. “It was written all over her face! This is bull–” she shot a guilty look towards Sora. “Sora, honey, would you mind covering your–”

“No,” Sora said firmly. “Say what you were going to say, Kairi.” He gave her an encouraging smile.

Kairi gulped. “This is… is bull… bullspit.” Sora sighed. “I’m sorry,” she added.

“It’s a work in progress,” Riku said. “But I agree. Is this some stupid ‘exact words’ thing from the curse magic?” The question was directed at Donald.

The mage shrugged. “Hard to say. Curses and magic like I do are different things, but curses tend to have very specific rules.”

“It doesn’t count for them just to feel it,” Ven said. “She has to _say_ it. That way, there’s no doubt. She has to be aware of it.” He smiled, considering. “It’s kinda romantic, actually.”

“Yes, yes, very romantic, and we’ll remain knickknacks and whatnots forever if she doesn’t know her own mind,” Cogsworth replied tartly. “Not to mention the Master stuck as that horrible monstrosity.”

“We should go after her!” Sora said. “If all she has to do is admit she loves him–”

“Ah, but she probably has to admit it _to him_,” Lumière interjected. “Like Ventus says, it is more romantic that way, _non?_”

“She’ll never make it back in time, especially if she’s caring for her father,” Mrs. Potts said, sadly. “Perhaps it’s better this way. She won’t lose anyone.”

Ven shook his head. “I can’t accept that.” He looked up at the others. “I can catch up. On my glider. But I’d have to go by myself. I can’t take someone with me, it messes with the balance and it’s faster if it’s just me.”

“Go,” Kairi agreed. The rest nodded, and Ven ran for the castle’s main gate.

“Guess there’s nothing else for the rest of us to do, unless Beast decides he wants to talk it out,” Sora said, leaning against the wall and stretching.

“Unfortunately, the Master has never really been one for, ah, heart-to-hearts,” said Cogsworth. “That’s part of why Belle was good for him. He was starting to open up to her.”

There was a collective group sigh.

Something wafted across the room, so faint that only Riku picked it up. He looked up, frowning, and sniffed the air.

His eyes widened. “Oh no…”

“‘Oh no’?” Kairi asked. “What’s ‘oh no’?”

Instead of answering, Riku ran to the nearest window. He threw back the curtain covering it, revealing the slope of the mountain the castle rested upon.

Tiny black shapes were struggling up the sides of the cliff.

“Heartless,” Riku said, his voice nearly a hiss.

“That’s not good,” Goofy said.

Kairi snapped her fingers. “Xemnas!”

“Huh?” Sora asked.

“He said he couldn’t convince the Beast to join Xehanort because of Belle! Now that she’s gone…!”

“Opportunistic creep,” Donald muttered.

Cogsworth straightened. “Warn the Master!” he ordered. “If it’s a fight they want, we’ll be ready for them!”

“Not you guys,” Sora said. “Heartless are our business. We won’t let them reach the castle!”

It was pretty lucky, Ven reflected, that using his glider meant he didn’t have to travel through the woods. It seemed incredibly easy to get lost in there; and he was pretty sure he’d heard a couple howls indicating that at least one wolf pack called it home. As it was, it was a pretty straight line from the castle to the village Belle and her father lived on the outskirts of.

Curiously, as he passed over the border between the village and the forest, he saw a procession of people lead by a man in red on a horse. The man was armed, and seemed to be clutching some sort of mirror.

“That’s probably not a good sign,” he murmured to himself as he soared past, unnoticed by the villagers. They disappeared into the trees as he reached a house on the outskirts with a horse that resembled the one Belle had ridden away on out front.

“Hello!” he called, knocking on the door, but there was no response. “Yeah, that’s really not a good sign,” he mused, looking around. “Belle! …Belle’s father! Sorry, I dunno your name! You here?!”

There was silence, for the most part, but as he listened, there came a small thumping noise from the back of the house. Ven tore around and would have spotted a barred cellar door if the large, axe-bladed contraption hadn’t caught his eye first.

Equally distracting was the teacup bouncing itself up and down on a lever in what looked like a control booth. “Hey, are you from the castle?” Ven asked.

The teacup stopped jumping. “Oh, yeah, you’re one of Sora’s friends!” it said. “Hi, my name’s Chip!”

“Hi, Chip,” Ven said. “What’s going on? Where’s Belle?”

“In there!” Chip said, pointing his handle towards the barred cellar door. “That mean Gaston guy shoved her and her dad in there! And they’re going to try to kill the Master! I’ve gotta get this working to break down the door!”

“I might have an easier solution,” Ven said, and went over to the door. He readied his Keyblade, and then noticed the door was barred with a length of wood, not locked. Shrugging, he banished his Keyblade and lifted the bar.

The door flew open and Belle rushed out. “Thank you, you – Ven?” she asked. “What are you – no time!” She shook herself. “Gaston, he’s–!”

“I know, Chip told me!” Ven said, as a short, rotund man stepped out behind Belle; presumably her father. “Let’s go!”

He followed her to the horse, and let her pull him onto the saddle behind her; if there were indeed wolves in the woods, it would be easier to defend her from there, rather than from his glider above. As they rushed past, Ven made sure to scoop up Chip, and they were off.

“Kairi, your left! Donald, your right! Goofy, right below you!” Riku barked. The three tossed spells (and a shield) in those directions. It was dark, and the shapes of the Heartless melded into the shadows of the cliff side. Thus, they were heavily relying on Riku’s nose and directions.

“Sora! Two o’clock!” Riku called, and Sora swung his Keyblade around just in time to intercept a Shadow that leapt at him.

“Thanks, Riku!” he called, beaming, and Riku shot a Firaga past his head, obliterating the other Shadow creeping up behind him.

“You can thank me later, keep your guard up!” he said as he swung at yet another Shadow.

“Say, fellas, what’s that?” Goofy said, pointing to a light on the bridge that spanned between the castle and solid ground.

“Looks like someone’s heading up to the castle,” Kairi said.

“Maybe it’s Belle and Ven?” Donald wondered.

“Hopefully! Either way, we’ve got work to do!” Sora replied. He shot another Shadow down with a spray of Blizzara.

“I knew it, I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up,” said Cogsworth, pacing.

“Maybe it would have been better if she had never come at all,” Lumière agreed.

Mrs. Potts opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment the footstool (which, ten years and one curse previously, had been a dog) burst into the room, barking. The three of them rushed over to the window, and peered out at the bridge.

“Could it be?” Lumière murmured.

“Is it she?” Mrs. Potts asked, louder.

The group on the bridge drew closer, and the three realized it was not Belle. Rather, it was a group of about fifty villagers, all with torches, pitchforks, and angry looks.

“_Sacre bleu!_” Lumière gasped. “Invaders!”

“Encroachers!” Cogsworth snarled.

“And they have the mirror!” Mrs. Potts pointed out, seeing it clasped in the hand of a red-clad man.

“Warn the Master. It looks like we’ll have a fight on our hands after all!” Cogsworth declared, still staring out the window. “Who’s with me?” he asked, turning back around, only to see that everyone else was already moving.

“I know, I know, _we’re_ the jerks for riding through your forest, but could you be a little less teethy about it?” Ven yelled, Stop-ing yet another wolf as it lunged towards their horse. 

“We need to go faster! Is there anything you can do?” Belle asked him, leaning over the horse’s mane. “Poor Phillipe wasn’t made for this.” The horse was struggling on valiantly, though, as if he could tell how important his task was.

“There might be one thing,” Ven said, and raised his Keyblade skyward. “Hold on, it’s gonna get bumpy! _HASTEGA!_”

Phillipe shot forwards like a rocket, so fast that Ven would have fallen off if Belle hadn’t grabbed him by his jacket. The horse danced through the trees, and was followed closely not by wolves, but by Ven, Chip, and Belle’s screams of terror.

But it would make for a faster trip.

“I think that’s the last of them!” Riku called, and they all slumped, panting. It had started raining while they were fighting, and they were all soaked.

Sora struggled to his feet. “No time to rest!” he said. “We gotta check on the castle!”

“He’s right,” Kairi agreed, rising to her feet and pulling Donald along with her. “Let’s go.”

As they ran back up towards the castle, there was the sound of a commotion. They drew up to the courtyard, and saw two things: the retreating backs of roughly forty-nine people, and an arriving horse moving almost faster than they could follow.

The horse skidded to a halt in front of them, and Ven and Belle practically tumbled off. Phillipe, for his part, merely shook himself, and meandered over to a nearby water trough like nothing had happened.

“Kairi!” Belle gasped. “Where’s the Beast?!”

“Up in the west wing!” Kairi said. “What’s going on?”

“Gaston! A hunter from my village! He’s trying to kill the Beast!” Belle explained.

“Is that what that crowd of people was? That’s not good,” Riku said. “We need to get to–”

“Look!” Goofy interrupted, pointing to the roof. The Beast was out on an arch, unmoving, as the man in red from earlier ripped off a chunk of masonry and lifted it over his head, ready to hit the Beast with a crushing blow.

“No!” Belle shrieked. “Gaston, don’t!”

A new life flared in the Beast’s eyes as he realized Belle had returned. He caught the piece of ornamentation in a massive paw as Gaston brought it down, struggling with the man as he rose to his full height.

“We have to go help him!” Sora cried, and the group made for the castle’s main door.

They were stopped by an ominous rumbling.

The shadows in the courtyard swirled and shaped themselves into a monstrous form. It had no legs, merely the suggestion of trailing rags. Its upper torso was heavily defined, boasting bulging muscles that made it look nearly the size of a barge. There was a dark red pattern across its chest, suggesting a tunic, and a belt around what might have been its waist suggested the same. Long, flowing black hair streamed down its back, emanating from a large, horned skull that it wore like a helmet. The horns were huge, closer to antlers, and more belts joined them to the cervine skull. In the space between its eyes, on what would have been the bridge of its nose if skin had been involved whatsoever, the Heartless emblem gleamed. In one powerful hand, it grasped a large chunk of masonry as a makeshift club.

“…Gaston?” Belle gasped, shocked.

“Oh, great, another one of _these_,” Kairi complained loudly.

**Defeat Enraged Elk!**

The group scattered as the Heartless brought its club down. “We have to get Belle to the Beast!” Sora yelled.

“Sora, go left! Ven, go right!” Riku ordered. They did as he commanded, and the Enraged Elk swiveled, unable to decide which to follow.

This left it open for Donald, Riku, and Kairi’s Triple Firaga.

The Heartless howled in agony as the spell impacted its face, reeling back just long enough for Goofy and Belle to dive underneath it, popping back up right before the castle’s main door. “You go on ahead, we’ll take care o’ this!” Goofy said, and Belle nodded before rushing into the castle.

“It doesn’t seem to like fire!” Ven pointed out.

“There isn’t much that does,” Donald agreed. “All together?”

Four Keyblades and a stave rose into the air, all pumping magic into a large ball of fire. The Enraged Elk’s eyes narrowed, and it made to dodge, until a targe shield whistled around its head and slammed into its face, stunning it. “Now, Donald!” Goofy called.

“FIRAZA!” Donald yelled, and brought the massive spell down on top of the Heartless.

When the smoke finally cleared and the rain had extinguished the remaining bits of flame, all that was left was a sooty stain on the ground and the unpleasant smell of burnt hair. “We did it!” Ven cheered. He and Sora hi-fived.

“Don’t celebrate yet! What about Belle and the Beast?!” Kairi said.

“Right,” said Riku. “Let’s go!”

The group burst onto the west wing balcony just as Gaston plunged a knife into the Beast’s back. The Beast roared in agony and arched backwards, almost falling, if Belle hadn’t grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him forwards at the last minute.

Gaston was not so lucky.

Riku and Ven both lunged for him, but the hunter was too far away from their grasping hands, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream as he fell off the roof of the castle, heading for the rocks far, far below.

Gently, Belle laid the Beast down on the balcony. He was still breathing, barely. “You… came back,” he choked out, stunned.

“Of course I came back,” Belle said. “I couldn’t let them… Oh, this is all my fault.”

“Maybe… it’s better this way,” the Beast whispered.

“Don’t talk like that,” Belle said, shaking her head. “You’ll be all right. We’re together now. Everything’s going to be fine, you’ll see.”

Slowly, the Beast reached up and touched her cheek, Belle’s hand guiding the way. “At least… I got to see you… one… last… time…” he murmured.

His hand fell back, and his eyes closed.

Belle lifted a hand to her mouth in shock. Kairi barely noticed Lumière, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts running in to join them. No one dared say a word.

“No, no! Please! Please!” Belle whispered, tears streaming down her face. “Please don’t leave me!” She leaned down, placing her head against the Beast’s chest one final time. “…I love you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw the last petal on the rose slowly drift down to the table.

Thunder rolled. Lumière clasped his candles together. Cogsworth patted Mrs. Potts on the rim as a tear ran down her face.

The only sounds were the rain, and Belle’s quiet sobs.

A streak of pink glittered down through the rain, and landed next to the Beast’s hand. It was joined by more, green and gold and blue.

“Magic?” Donald whispered into the silence.

As magic continued to rain down from the heavens, the Beast slowly began to rise into the air. Belle stepped back in shock and confusion as the Beast slowly began to rotate. His cape wrapped around him as his body slowly began to shift. A furred, clawed paw became a hand, light shooting from the fingers. A back paw shrunk to a human foot, light similarly bursting from the toes. The Beast’s fur ruffled in a sudden wind, and as a glow suffused him, the horns shrank away, the ears rounded, the fangs shortened, and the fur receded, leaving behind a human face.

The man collapsed to the ground and slowly rose to his feet. “Belle!” he exclaimed. “It’s me!”

Belle stepped forwards in confusion, running a hand through his still-lengthy hair. She then focused on his face, and her eyes widened.

“His eyes!” Ven gasped, _sotto_ _voce_, “Look at his eyes!”

They looked, and like Belle, saw the beast within the man who stood before them.

“It _is_ you!” Belle beamed, and the two slowly embraced, leaning forwards for a kiss.

Bright swirls of magic wreathed around them, and shot into the sky, raining down all over the castle. Wherever they touched down, the dark, Gothic architecture gave way to the French Renaissance, angelic statues replacing demonic ones. As luck would have it, the sun was just rising over the east horizon, bathing the entire castle in golden light.

“Wow!” Sora gasped, witnessing the spectacle. So engrossed was he that he nearly jumped in fright when Lumière sprouted into a full-grown man.

“Lumière!” said the man formerly known as Beast. “Cogsworth! Mrs. Potts!” he added, as the other two transformed as well. “Look at us!” He grabbed them in a massive hug.

“Mama! Mama!” came Chip’s voice as he rode in on the footstool. Halfway on to the balcony, the magic caught up with them, and they became a teacup riding a dog, then a small boy riding a dog.

“My goodness!” Mrs. Potts laughed as she picked up her son and gathered him into her arms. Kairi frowned, trying to work out exactly how old Chip was if he was young enough to ride a small-ish dog when the curse was supposed to have gone into effect ten years ago. Eventually, she decided it wasn’t worth the headache.

“It is a miracle!” Lumière cheered.

“No, it’s just the power of love!” Sora declared.

“The power of love, huh?” Riku smirked, taking his hand.

“Hey, you never know,” Kairi said, taking Sora’s other hand. “It’s a curious thing, or so I’m told.”

Ven, on the other hand, was frowning. “Hey, I just realized something,” he said, addressing the man formerly known as Beast. “What exactly do we call you now? You’re not a ‘Beast’ anymore.”

“That’s… a good question, actually,” Belle said. “You never told me your name, did you?”

“Wait, you didn’t?” Riku asked, shocked. “You two fell in love and you never even told her your name?”

“Well… I tried to forget it between the time I was cursed and meeting her, so ‘Beast’ worked fine,” the man admitted. “But my name is…” he trailed off.

Kairi glared at him. “Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“I didn’t forget, it’s… um…”

“Oh dear, I knew we’d forgotten something important,” Cogsworth muttered.

“It’s…”

Belle sighed. “I can keep calling you ‘Beast’ if that’s easier…”

“Adam!” the man blurted. “My name is Adam!”

Privately, Ven thought it would be more convincing if he hadn’t glanced at Mrs. Potts to ensure he had the right answer.

The next day, or indeed the current day as no one had slept, was full of hustle and bustle as the inhabitants of the castle swept up the years of sadness and tears and threw them away.

“Are you sure you can’t stay longer?” Belle asked as Kairi helped her and Adam pick up some of the scattered detritus in Adam’s room.

Kairi shook her head. “I’m afraid not, but _please_ invite us to the wedding! We missed Jasmine’s and I feel horrible about it!”

“Do you know what you have to do to help your friend?” Adam asked. Kairi had told the two of Isa’s predicament while they cleaned.

Slowly, Kairi smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I know exactly what I need to do.”

The castle’s inhabitants bid them a fond farewell later that day, and as they left the grounds, Sora spotted something in the sky. “Look!”

Before their eyes, the name of the world formed in the air.

**Beast’s Castle**

As they watched, it glowed brilliantly, blinding them. When they could see again, the words, and the name of the world, had changed.

**Castle of Roses**

“Huh. Just like Radiant Garden!” Goofy said.

Kairi smiled. “Things going back to the way they’re supposed to be. It feels good, huh?”

It would be Isa’s turn very soon.

**Earlier…**

Gaston plummeted.

Of all the things he thought might one day kill him, gravity had been low on the already short list.

Of course, gravity wasn’t going to kill him.

The ground was.

To his surprise, the ground was still several dozen feet below him when his back impacted a hard surface, which shattered like glass. He continued falling until he struck and shattered another pane, then another, and another, more and more in rapid succession, closer and closer together as he got closer and closer to the ground.

Finally, the panes slowed him down enough that, about three feet above the ground, the glass, or whatever it was, didn’t shatter. He got up, reaching for but not finding the knife he’d dropped.

He was in the bottom of the ravine, and he should not have survived.

“Avenant Gaston?” a deep voice rumbled.

Gaston looked to a nearby spar of rock, where stood a man-shaped being in a dark, hooded cloak.

Gaston gulped, then straightened. “Death, I presume?”

“Some may say so,” said the figure.

“Am I to play you in a game of chess, then?” Gaston challenged.

“You could not best me at chess if you tried,” the figure deadpanned. “No, I have come to make you an offer.”

“Devil, then?” Gaston challenged.

“Devil? No. More… an angel of fate,” said the figure. “It was I who saved you from your imminent demise, after all.”

Gaston didn’t thank him. “Are you man or some sort of monster?” he demanded.

The figure tilted his head. “I suppose that is a matter of perspective, really,” he mused, and threw back his hood.

Silver hair, golden eyes, and Darkness-stained orange-tinted skin met Gaston’s eyes, a far cry from the bone-white skull he’d been expecting. “It could be argued that I am not human,” Xemnas said, clearly amused. “Yet, I now have a heart. Am I not as much a Somebody as anyone else is?”

Gaston blinked, then shook his head, frowning. “If you have nothing better to do than be cryptic, sir, I will take my leave. I have a beast to slay, and a woman to win.” He turned to march down the ravine; there had to be some sort of path or handholds in the rock face that he could use to scale the sides.

“The Beast is no more; he is human once again, and the Princess of Heart would not have you even if he wasn’t,” Xemnas said, smirking, “full of darkness as you are. Can you believe the Guardians trusted my word that I was here for the Beast himself? His darkness is _nothing_ compared to yours.”

More words Gaston didn’t recognize. “Are you going to continue to mock me, or are you going to get out of my way?” he challenged.

Xemnas laughed. He’d been able to make the sounds before, of course, but there was nothing like the sensation of uncontrollable laughter. A good laugh, loud, long, and clear. He could see how it could easily provoke more of the same.

Gaston was unamused. “Is something funny?”

“Many things are, many things are,” Xemnas said, still chuckling to himself. “No, I am not going to move until you’ve heard my offer.”

Gaston grit his teeth. “And that offer is?”

Xemnas laid out the proposition: that Gaston join the Seekers of Darkness, and accept a portion of Xehanort’s heart, lending his darkness to the goal of forging the χ–blade. When he was done, Gaston stared at him for several seconds, then burst into laughter of his own.

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” he chortled. “You’re as looney as that old man Maurice!”

“I take it you are turning down the offer, then?” Xemnas asked. He was discovering that there was something vexing about being laughed _at_.

“Of course I am!” Gaston mocked. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more important things to do.” He turned away and started to march along the ravine floor.

Xemnas sighed. “Regrettable. It’s always easier when they agree.” A Dark Corridor opened up behind him.

Gaston made it ten steps before a Dark Corridor released Xemnas in front of him. “You again?” Gaston jeered. “I thought I made it clear that I’m not buying into your–”

“Your compliance, while welcome, is not an issue,” Xemnas interrupted, and raised a hand.

There was a searing, burning pain in Gaston’s chest. He looked down in shock to see a burning “X” of black fire etch itself across his chest. His eyes rolled up, his body fell backwards, and he knew no more.

Xemnas produced the wine glass, somehow still full, from his coat. “And now, only two remain.” He sipped it, and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter in this fic, and we have a lot to talk about, so let's jump right in!  
Beauty and the Beast. _La belle et la bête_. The tale as old as time, the song as old as rhyme. You might have been able to tell, I've seen this movie. Moreover, I was in a production of the stage musical. The Disney one. (though I'm not sure there is another one. Wouldn't surprise me.) You might have been able to tell that from all the references to songs from it. (Fun fact: I've had the original Broadway cast recording of it since I was in the production I was in. That was sixth grade. It took me until the course of writing this chapter to realize that Belle was played by Susan Egan in that initial run. Susan Egan, voice of Megara in Hercules. Susan Egan, voice of Rose Quartz in Steven Universe. Small world after all, eh?) I've also seen the live action version. Not the Disney one, the 1946 Jean Cocteau one. <strike>the good one.</strike> I bring this up because I need to address why I've pushed aside the intended moral for Kairi.  
"Don't judge a book by it's cover". That's the point of the Beast: he's a good man with a horrible exterior, and the story is of Belle learning to see what's beneath the surface. The tale is as old as time, even before being declared such by Disney. But here's the thing.  
Disney fucked up.  
Let's take a look at the prologue. How is the prince described? "Spoiled, selfish, and unkind." This is why the enchantress curses him, "for she had seen that there was no love in his heart." In most adaptations, the newly made Beast learns his lesson over the intervening years, and is a genuinely good man struggling not to be the beast he appears to be (and sometimes failing) by the time he imprisons Belle. To cement this, Cocteau's film introduced a new character that doesn't appear in the original fairy tale: a strong, handsome, beloved, but petty and twisted hunter named Avenant (!), who is the opposite of the Beast in that he's handsome on the outside and ugly on the inside (to drive the point home, Cocteau had them both played by the same actor). Disney brought this idea with them in the form of Gaston. The Beast, despite his outward appearance, is a genuinely gentle and good person.  
_But not in the Disney version_.  
In the Disney version, the Beast makes no effort to become a better person until _after_ he meets Belle. Beauty and the Beast was considered by many in the production team to be _Beast's_ story. The story of him learning to be a better person.  
So the moral of Disney's Beauty and the Beast isn't "don't judge the inside by the outside" at all. The moral is that even someone like the Beast can become a better person, if they make the honest and genuine effort to do so.  
Wonder why I juxtaposed this with Vanitas...  
Continuing in order! Sora, Kairi, and Riku are trying to break Sora's DISNEY field. This is because there are certain things they want to do together, and it's easier to talk about them if Kairi and Riku can actually say the words directly. It's a work in progress.  
Yes, in the movie Maurice goes back to the castle with Belle, but I didn't want to overtax poor Phillipe (read: I already had so many characters to juggle... please let me rest...) I've been planning Ven using Haste spells for a while, based on his D-Link (Haste was the only reason I beat Zack in the Coliseum, and it made for a lot of fun to style on Terranort's ass with)  
The Enraged Elk, of course, is from KHUx! Easier than trying to come up with one myself. And the first (and only planned so far, we'll see) use of Grand Magic in this AU. I have no plans for Donald to ever use ZettaFlare because I have no plans to kill Donald.  
Technically, the Beast's human name isn't "Adam". According to people who worked on the movie, his human name is "Prince We-never-gave-him-a-human-name". Since that's a mouthful, we'll stick with Adam.  
"Castle of Roses" is another nod to the original fairy tale (and the Cocteau film) where the reason why the Beast imprisons Belle in the first place is because Maurice tries to steal a rose from the gardens as a gift for her. I'm also 98% sure it's not my original idea, so don't think it is. (Sadly I don't remember specifically who used it first).  
And, of course, we come to what I'm sure you've all been wanting me to talk about from the beginning. *Ahem*. _ No... one's..._  
A Nort like Gaston!  
Of this sort like Gaston!  
Brought in just to fill the cohort like Gaston!  
Sure he may not be all that intimidating...  
But one of the Norts is Gaston!  
"Why?!?!?!" you say, and "Because!!!" I say back. But I do have reasons. I wanted a mix of Disney and Square Enix (specifically Final Fantasy, don't get too excited) characters as the unestablished Norts. I had a limited pool to Oh god I'm out of room. Uh... to the comments?


	7. Kairi

Terra blinked.

He was sitting at a table. It was a very familiar table. It wasn’t where he had been before, but he recognized it.

“Hello, Terra.”

Terra looked across the table and was unsurprised to see himself, with bright silver hair, and golden eyes. This time, however, instead of moving to attack, he sat back and smiled.

In response, he said, “Hello, Terra.”

The other Terra laughed, and as he did, the silver leeched out of his hair, turning back to Terra’s normal brown. His eyes, however, remained gold. “I’m glad you finally recognize me.”

“It took me a while,” Terra conceded. “You’re _my_ darkness. Not Xehanort’s.”

“Correct,” the other Terra said, smiling. “I am thou, and thou art I. And I’ll always be right here, inside you, when you need me.”

“I’m glad I can count on you,” Terra said, matching his smile.

The other Terra laughed, and he and the table faded from view.

Terra’s eyes flew open, staring at the ceiling of his room. He didn’t feel sick in the slightest.

Slowly, he smiled.

Lea stared at the lines of Isa’s sleeping face. There was something to be said about the old saying that repeating an action over and over again and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity; however, for that to be true, he would have to be acting.

He was still waiting.

Lea sighed. He had faith in Kairi, and the rest. They _would_ figure something out, if there was…

If there was anything to figure out.

He mentally shook himself, gazed still locked on Isa. There had to be. He couldn’t accept a reality where there wasn’t.

And then, once Isa was himself again, he could…

Maybe…

If it seemed like a good idea…

Tell him that…

…He couldn’t think like that.

Not yet.

Lea sighed again.

The sooner they could help him, the better.

Isa had eventually been moved into his own room, which had sprung up between Naminé’s and Mickey, Donald, and Goofy’s. It put him across the hall from Lea’s own room, though Lea had chosen not to think about that, either. Really, it was only the proximity to his room that was preventing Lea from sleeping in the chair.

People had continued to come by to check on him. Oh, yes, on Isa, too, but none of them _knew_ Isa like Lea did. And they all knew at least part of how Lea felt about Isa; the part Lea was certain of, at least. They were making sure Lea was okay just as much as they were checking on Isa. He appreciated it.

Roxas still hadn’t stuck his head in, though. That was a headache for another day. Hopefully, he’d learned from the Riku fiasco, and wasn’t going to come at Isa Keyblade swinging.

Again.

Though come to think of it, the Riku incident had been the _second _time between the two of them…

Lea was still pondering this when the door swung open and Aqua stuck her head in. “Lea!”

“Huh? What’s up?”

Aqua was wearing a broad smile. “Kairi’s back!”

“What did you find out? Anything?” Lea asked, the urgency clear in his voice.

“About being a Princess of Heart, pretty much jack,” Kairi said. “But,” she added before the despair could overwhelm Lea’s face, “I think I know what I need to do to help him. And I’m gonna need _your_ help.” They had all gathered in the common room for an informal debriefing.

“Right. What do we do?” Lea asked.

Kairi bit her lip. “Okay, so… here’s the thing. I’m not… entirely sure what’s going to happen.”

“What do you mean?” Aqua asked, concerned.

“I mean, I’m going to try to form a connection between Isa and Lea’s hearts, like I did for Sora and Riku way back when. Thing is, I don’t exactly know how that works. I just… kinda have to believe it will.”

Lea pursed his lips. “That’s not real encouraging, Kai.”

“I know,” she said, grimacing in sympathy. “But I need you to trust me.”

Lea smirked, and chuckled a bit. “I do.” He stood up.

Kairi stood up as well, and offered him her hand. “Care to take a leap of faith with me?”

“Do we ever take any other kind?” Lea replied. He took her hand, and let her lead him out of the room.

“Take his hand,” Kairi directed him, and ignored the slight reddening of Lea’s cheeks. She placed one hand over theirs, and slid her other under them. “Now, feel him.”

“Kairi I’m not groping his tits,” Lea deadpanned.

Kairi flushed. “Not like that, asshole,” she snapped. “His heart. You should be able to feel it. Think about him, about everything, the good and the bad.”

Lea smirked at her, then let the grin slide off his face. Good, and bad. There was a large pile of both. At the bottom of it all, was Isa. His smile, his frown, the way he could roll his eyes without moving them. The gentle sarcasm, the way Lea had to use a metaphorical crowbar to get to any sort of frank discussion of his feelings out of him, the way Isa had never been able to meet his eyes when hiding something from him. The secrets, the revelations, the promises.

The heartbreak, the separation, the slow drift apart.

Sometimes those who are supposed to be bound at the hip fall apart. Sometimes irrevocably.

Sometimes, there was a second chance.

“…I feel him,” Lea murmured.

“Let’s do it,” Kairi answered.

“Do wha–”

Darkness.

Lea breathed, and nothing stopped it. It wasn’t choking or oppressive. It was more like standing in an aquarium, with glass between you and hundreds of gallons of water. It should be claustrophobic, but it wasn’t. It felt like an out-of-body experience.

“Do you see him?” Kairi asked from somewhere behind his left ear. He turned, and started in shock, as Kairi was hovering behind him, a monochromatic bright gold.

“Kairi, what the hell is this?” Lea asked.

Kairi shrugged. “Well, I don’t know how to do a Dive to the Heart, so that’s not what this is, but… it’s probably something similar?”

“We’re in Isa’s heart?” Lea asked, incredulous.

“We should be. This might be a fight,” Kairi replied. “Ready?”

An out-of-body experience it was, then. “Been ready,” Lea said, squaring his shoulders. He reached out his hand and completely failed to summon his Keyblade. “Huh?”

“Heart-to-heart connection. No weapons,” Kairi said. “Sorry.”

“I’ll make do,” Lea said. “Where is he?”

“I was going to ask you that,” Kairi said. “You’d know better than I would. Can you feel him?”

Lea concentrated. “That way,” he said, and they moved in the direction he pointed. Or, perhaps he stood still, and the world moved around him. It was impossible to tell the difference.

A tiny point of light appeared in the distance. Slowly, it grew larger. “Isa?” Lea called, breaking into a run.

To his irritation, he didn’t move any faster from it; it felt like he was running in place as the spot of light slowly got closer.

Finally, they reached it. “Isa!” Lea called, then stopped in horror.

Isa was stretched out against a crossed pillar, arms splayed out and eyes closed, several feet off what would have been the ground if it wasn’t solid blackness.

Before him stood Saïx.

“If you would be so kind as to keep it down,” he said. “Isa is asleep.”

“Get away from him!” Lea roared.

“…really?” Saïx drawled. “This again?”

“As many times as it takes,” Lea said, and rushed towards the other man.

Saïx caught his fist effortlessly. “And now without weapons.” He swung his other hand and punched Lea in the gut. The breath Lea didn’t have was pushed out of the lungs he didn’t have either; there were certain essentials the heart carried with it from the body, it seemed.

But Lea hadn’t gotten where he was in life without taking punches to the gut before, metaphorical and literal. He snapped his head up, catching Saïx under the chin.

The golden-eyed man stumbled back, cursing. “Not much one for street fights, are you?” Lea taunted, fists raised and ready.

Saïx wiped blood that wasn’t there off his lip. “There is a certain barbarism to them that may have passed me by in my youth, I’ll admit,” he said, grinning. It was Isa’s grin. It just made Lea angrier.

But he had the advantage. Saïx swung, and Lea dodged. He retaliated with a swift right hook that landed against Saïx’s left cheek. The other man stumbled, but to Lea’s consternation, laughed.

“Pathetic,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t understand what I am, do you?”

“You’re Xehanort. That’s all I need to know,” Lea snapped.

“Ah, but what else am I?” Saïx asked. “Surely you must know everyone has their own darkness. I am Xehanort, yes. But I am also Isa. An essential part. An _integral_ part. I am Isa’s darkness, and he _needs me_ to be whole.”

Lea’s eyes narrowed, fists clenching. “He might need his own darkness, but he doesn’t need yours!”

“But he has so _much_ darkness,” Saïx taunted. “All because of y–” He was interrupted by Lea’s fist in his face.

“How to separate it? How can you delineate him from me?” Saïx continued, though he stumbled backwards again. “Where do I end, where does he begin?”

Lea grit his teeth. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had no idea what to do.

But he wasn’t alone.

“Hold him down,” said Kairi’s voice in his ear. “I have an idea.”

“How good of an idea?”

“A horrible, horrible, shitty idea.”

“Well, I’ll take it,” Lea said, and lunged.

His arms locked around Saïx, who twisted and growled, but Lea held fast. “What now?” Saïx demanded. “If this is some sort of attempt at reaching him emotionally–”

“Not exactly.” Kairi rose up behind Lea, glowing brilliantly, and placed her hand against Saïx’s chest. Her light glowed brighter.

Saïx strained, grunted, but otherwise nothing happened. “Was that your brilliant idea, Princess of Heart?” he asked. “My darkness is one with his. You cannot reach me.”

Kairi pulled her hand back, but her eyes narrowed and she slowly smiled. There was a hint of triumph in the smile. “Then I will _draw_ you, Xehanort, as poison is drawn from a wound!” Her hand lashed out, and seized something on Saïx’s chest.

Saïx screamed in agony. “Kairi?” Lea shouted, but she shook her head.

“It’s working. Keep holding him!” she ordered.

Lea clung on for dear life – his own or Isa’s, he didn’t know, as Kairi reared back and brought with her a dark shade from Saïx’s chest. The screams were going to haunt his nightmares regardless of how it turned out, he was certain.

“Got you!” Kairi declared, and Saïx went limp in Lea’s arms. In her hand, Kairi held a ball of darkness. It strained against her fingers, but couldn’t escape. “That’s enough. Face the dawn.” Her hand started to glow brighter, and the ball’s struggling increased in what was clearly panic. But Kairi held it tight, and squeezed, and the ball slowly evaporated.

“Did you just burn Xehanort’s heart?” Lea asked, stunned.

Kairi shrugged. “A piece of his darkness, not his whole heart. I doubt the real him even felt it.”

“Have I ever mentioned you can be fucking terrifying?”

“No, but I’m glad you’ve realized this, and I hope you keep it in mind!” Kairi said, grinning.

Saïx was still slumped in Lea’s arms. As they watched, his hair darkened slightly, although his eyes remained gold. “…Lea?” he said eventually, sounding dazed.

“Isa?” Lea asked. He looked up at the Isa on the pillar. “But…”

The golden-eyed Isa pointed to himself. “Darkness,” he said, then pointed to the restrained Isa. “Light.”

“Oh, okay. Makes sense,” Lea said. “Isa, I–”

The golden-eyed Isa shook his head. “Later, with the full me, when I wake up. You need to get out of here.” He grimaced, and looked away. “You shouldn’t be in here to begin with.”

“Isa–” Lea started again, but the golden-eyed Isa shook his head. “Later, then. But that’s a promise, got it memorized?”

There was a hint of a smile. “Consider it committed to memory. Now, go!” He lifted his hand and pushed, and Lea felt the sensation of flying backwards.

Lea’s head snapped up, and he was back in the real world, staring at Kairi across Isa’s bed. “Did it work?” he said.

Kairi sat back. “I think so,” she said. “But we won’t know for sure until he wakes up.”

“Right,” Lea said, staring intently at Isa’s face.

Kairi smirked. “You know, you can let go of his hand, now.”

Lea flushed. “Oh, yeah, right. Sure can. Absolutely.”

“Want to sit here with him while I go get Master Yen Sid?” Kairi asked, in a tone that could be kind, or could be teasing, depending on how you wanted to take it.

Lea chose to ignore it. “Sure.”

Kairi got up and left the room, and Lea looked back at Isa. “Not long now, Isa. Not long now.”

“He’s _what?!_”

Yen Sid was entirely unruffled by Lea’s outburst. “I do not know what caused it. I have removed the Sleep spell I placed upon him in its entirety. Yet, still he slumbers.”

Lea paced across the floor. “This is ridiculous! After all that, he’s still in a fucking _coma?!_”

“Could Xehanort have done something?” Riku asked. The entire group had gathered again. “Isa was an involuntary Seeker, right?”

“It is possible,” Yen Sid admitted. “Though, I have no idea what that would be.”

Terra shook his head. “I don’t know, either,” he said. “What happened to the two of us was different, since my heart was partially in my armour.”

“What about the Power of Waking?” Ven asked. “Could that do it?”

“Yeah, I was going to ask that, too!” Sora said. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about that, Master. What actually _is_ the Power of Waking? Cause I thought we used it to unlock Master Eraqus from Terra’s heart, but I’m not sure?”

As Yen Sid started to explain, Lea stalked out of the room. So close. They’d gotten so close, only to trip over a hurdle they hadn’t seen coming.

It was fucking bullshit is what it was.

Unbidden, his feet carried him back to Isa’s room. His friend’s hair did seem darker now, but that might have just been the lighting. Xehanort had to be gone from him. He _had_ to.

So why wouldn’t he wake up?

Lea had settled into his chair and was staring at Isa again when there came a soft clearing of the throat from the doorway. He looked up to see Aqua, lingering.

“How goes the debate?” he asked, sarcastic and tired.

“Not well,” Aqua admitted, “but I had an idea I wanted to run by you first. It’s…” she hesitated. “A little extreme. Naminé wouldn’t be happy with it.”

Lea stared at her, confused. “…go on.”

Aqua bit her lip. “Well… remember how Ven, Xion, and I were researching fairy tales?”

“Yeah?” Lea replied, lost.

“We didn’t find much about body-snatching, but… there were a lot of stories about people put into magical trances. Like Snow White was. Like Aurora was.”

“And these were solved through…?” Lea asked.

Aqua took a deep breath. “True love’s kiss.”

There was silence. Lea rubbed his eyes. “Aqua… are you fucking shitting me?”

“Look, I know it sounds cliché and a bit… illogical, but couldn’t it be possible that _that_ kind of spell is what Xehanort did? We discussed this earlier, about Vanitas. It’s hard to believe Xehanort wouldn’t have known about that kind of spell.”

“Yeah, but _true love’s kiss_? Where the fuck are we going to find that?” Lea said, bitter. “Isa’s never been in love with anyone, as far as I know.”

Aqua’s expression softened. “Lea…”

“Fuck off,” Lea snapped. “I can’t do that to myself. I can’t do that to _him_.”

“It doesn’t have to be romantic love for it to be ‘true’!” Aqua insisted. “Kairi told me about these sisters she and Naminé met that broke a ‘true love’ spell through their love for each other! As sisters!”

“Well, he doesn’t _have_ a sister, or any other–”

“Lea,” Aqua interrupted him, “stop. You care for him. He’s your best friend, and you’re his.” She ignored the way Lea grimaced. “You care for him. You love him. Even if you can’t bring yourself to loving him romantically, you love him platonically. There can be love between friends; look at Terra, Ven, and me. Look at you and Roxas and Xion. Look at Sora and almost every person he’s ever met.” She placed a gentle hand on Lea’ shoulder, and smiled. “You can do this. It _will_ work. I’m certain of it.”

“That makes one of us,” Lea muttered.

Aqua patted his shoulder. “After everything you’ve done for him? Regardless of what kind of love it is, there’s love there.”

Lea breathed out, slowly. “Would you mind… stepping out for a bit?”

“Of course,” Aqua said, stepping away. She closed the door behind her, and Lea took a deep breath.

“Funny thing about having feelings again,” he said to Isa. “Makes everything all complicated.” He moved from the chair to the side of Isa’s bed. “I’d ask you to promise not to hate me for this, but… I honestly don’t know if you hate me or not. I was an asshole, but so were you. Dying’s easy, but comity is hard, huh?”

He sighed. “I don’t know if you’re aware of any of this, but… I wanted to say I’m sorry. I have no idea what was going on with you back in the Organization, what you were trying to accomplish, what the point of half the shit you had me do was. At some point I stopped trusting you. And you were struggling with Xehanort all that time, because you saved me. I feel like a dick.” He scratched an itch on his neck. “Guess I am a dick, though. And I’m sorry.”

He leaned closer. “I hope I can tell you all that to your face. Well, your face when you can hear me.”

Lea closed the distance between them and gently, tenderly, pressed his lips against Isa’s.

He pulled back after half a second. There was an urge, deep down, to keep kissing him; but not right now. Not like this. This wasn’t the way, not when he couldn’t act back, not when Lea didn’t know if it was something he wanted.

Lea stepped backwards, sitting back down in the chair, and tried not to feel guilty for enjoying it. “Well, that didn’t work, and now I feel like an asshole.”

“That’s all right. You are an asshole.”

Lea nearly jumped out of his skin. “Isa?!”

With a groan of sore muscles after long inactivity, Isa pulled himself into a sitting position, and locked eyes on Lea.

Aquamarine eyes, not gold.

“Isa!” Lea shouted, and was immediately by his side. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I have a headache, I’m probably dehydrated, and… and I have an apology to make, too.” Isa said.

“An ap – oh, you… heard that?” Lea asked.

Isa nodded. “I heard all of it. And I have to apologize for what I did, as well.” He pursed his lips, but didn’t look away. “I was… jealous.”

“Jealous?” Lea asked.

Isa sighed. “You went off and made other friends… and left me in the dust.”

Lea sat down on the bed next to him. “I’m surprised to hear you admit it.”

Isa smiled, ruefully. “After all this time, after everything you and they did for me… it seems foolish not to.” He paused, considering. “Is the girl all right?”

“The… you mean Xion?”

“Is that what she looked like to you and Roxas?” Isa asked in confirmation. He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Tell her that, not me,” Lea said, without judgement in his tone.

“No, I need to tell it to you, too,” Isa said. “You say you stopped trusting me, and I stopped trusting you, as well. And I’m sorry. You aren’t the type of person to abandon a friend. Yet…” he paused, and looked away. “It infuriated me how you just left my life.”

Lea’s heart lurched. “I’m sor–” he started, but Isa shook his head.

“You already said that, remember?” he reminded him, smiling. “I’m not angry with you anymore, Lea. Not after everything you’ve done. I’m only telling you to explain.”

“You don’t have to,” Lea murmured.

“No, I do,” Isa replied.

They sat, in a silence that for others might have been uncomfortable, but for them was pleasant by mere dint of the fact that they were talking again.

“Since you’re in an explaining mood,” Lea said eventually, “Want to finally tell me what all that shit with the Chamber of Waking was?”

“I’m sorry?” Isa asked, confused.

“Those wild goose chases you used to send me on. Castle Oblivion. Oh, you’re never gonna believe this. Kairi, Aqua, and Naminé found it. It was _apparently_ right in plain sight, if you can see things that’re invisible.”

“What was in it?” Isa asked, too quickly.

Lea raised an eyebrow. “A Keyblade wielder from thirteen years ago, name of Ventus. Remember him? We met him, once. Turns out that’s where Roxas got his good looks from, long story… what’s wrong?”

Isa was staring at his hands, anger on his face. “So that was a dead end, too,” he muttered.

“Dead end?” Lea asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you not remember?” Isa asked. “We made a promise.”

“…What promise?” Lea asked, confused.

Abruptly, Isa straightened, and his eyes widened. He turned to Lea. “You… you don’t…?”

“Is this something important that I’m forgetting?” Lea asked, starting to get worried.

“You remember when we were taken by the apprentices?” Isa asked.

“Hard to forget,” Lea said, “though I’ve tried to.”

“Do you not remember the other test subject? The one who preceded us?”

Lea frowned. “What other test subject?

Isa’s gaze softened in understanding. “You really don’t remember.”

“Isa, you’re doing that thing where you’re being cryptic again,” Lea said.

“There was a girl,” Isa said. “We only met her once. She had black hair, and amber eyes. She was about our age, and she didn’t know her own name. You don’t…?” He trailed off, seeing the lost look in Lea’s eyes.

Lea slowly shook his head. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry.”

“You must have been exhausted at the time,” Isa mused. “In retrospect it’s not surprising.”

“But… what does this have to do with Castle Oblivion?” Lea asked.

“After that meeting, she disappeared,” Isa said. “Something happened to her, and I suspected Xehanort – or Xemnas, eventually – was to blame. I thought… she might be in one of the Chambers, Waking or Repose.”

“Repose had Aqua’s Keyblade and armour,” Lea said, slowly, “and Waking had Ven.”

Isa sighed. “Another dead end, then.”

“Wait… you were at this for the whole ten years?” Lea asked. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I… made the assumption that you already knew,” Isa admitted.

“Well, _jeez_, of course I didn’t! I would’ve been a lot less of a dick about the whole thing if I knew!” Lea shook his head. “That long of a search for someone you only met once, though?”

“I made her a promise,” Isa said.

Something twitched uncomfortably in Lea’s gut. “A… promise?” he asked.

Isa nodded. “She asked me to save her.”

“Shit,” Lea said, stunned. “And you didn’t give up after all that time?”

Isa shrugged. “I made a promise. I didn’t want to let her down. You don’t remember, but… she looked so scared. I couldn’t imagine what had happened to her, considering what was happening to us. All I wanted was for her to be safe. Her, and us, of course.”

The uncomfortable twitch was now a sinking feeling. “So… that’s how you feel, huh?” Lea asked.

“Yes,” Isa said.

“Well… Xehanort’s bearing down on us, but as soon as we deal with him, let’s start looking for leads,” Lea said.

Isa’s eyes widened. “You’re sure? After everything–”

“Hey, helping pretty girls in trouble is what we do, right?” Lea said, smiling broadly. He wasn’t looking directly at Isa, though.

“Lea,” Isa said, but was interrupted by the rumble of his own stomach.

“You haven’t had solid food in a few days,” Lea pointed out. “Come on, come down to the kitchen and meet everyone.”

“Are you sure–”

“Sure I’m sure! Oh, fair warning, Terra kept the Xemnas hair, so that might be a little startling, but he’s okay now. He also wants to apologize, actually. And then there’s Vanitas, looks like a goth Sora, he can be a prickly little bastard but that’s only because he’s learning how to be a person instead of a weapon. Roxas promised me he would give you a chance, but he’s probably still going to be a jerk for a while on principle, Xion I’m not sure, Sora, Riku, and Kairi you know…”

Lea’s explanation continued as he led Isa down the stairs. Isa was greeted warmly by Sora, Ven, Terra, and Aqua, and a little less warmly by Riku, Kairi, and Naminé, and completely frigidly by Roxas and Vanitas. Xion had contrived to not be in the room; that was a land mine for another time.

Isa was uncomfortable at first, but slowly, as he ate, he began to talk of his own accord, first to Ven, whom he did recognize, and then to Sora, Aqua, and the rest. Lea, still smiling, drew back slightly, and caught Naminé and Kairi’s eyes.

They met him outside, where the sun was setting. “Something wrong?” Kairi asked, frowning.

Lea’s smile didn’t shift. “Nah, of course not, just wanted to hang out with–”

“He’s lying,” Naminé interrupted. “Roxas taught me how to spot it.” They sat down on the steps. “What’s wrong, Lea?”

Lea’s smile cracked. “He’s back. And I know why he was doing all that strange shit over the years, what his motivation was.”

“What was it?” Kairi asked, quietly.

“…so there’s this girl,” Lea said, and couldn’t stop the tears any longer. Kairi and Naminé both put an arm around him as he choked out the sobs, rubbing his back.

“I’m sorry,” Naminé said. “You’re sure he likes her?”

“He spent eleven years looking for her,” Lea said, miserable. “I don’t know how that’s not evidence.”

“Did he _say_ he liked her?” Kairi pressed.

“No, but you don’t understand,” Lea said. “It’s _Isa_. Getting him to talk about his feelings is like excavating a fossil.”

“There’s still hope,” Kairi offered, but Lea shook his head.

“Can’t torture myself like that, Kairi.”

“I know what you mean,” Naminé said, quietly. “Hoping just makes losing the hope hurt all the more.”

“It’s better this way,” Lea said. “I need to get over it. I have my friend back. That has to be enough.” He choked back another sob.

“It’s enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know usually I spend the say before posting these thinking of what to write for the end notes but today, I didn't, so let's wing it.  
The Terra section of this chapter was actually supposed to come after the Kairi section, like every other chapter, but it would have been a _huge_ tonal dissonance. Plus, I had already broken the pattern in both the previous chapter, and in the very first one, so nothing lost.  
I forgot to mention this waaaaay back in the end notes of Naminé's Bogus Journey, but the book Kairi talks about in that fic? The one about four people who leave their town and have a life-changing adventure and return to find they don't quite fit into the town anymore? Lord of the Rings. Kairi's a fan, hence the quote (and yes, the movies exist in this world as well as the books).  
If you're wondering why Isa was still in the coma despite having Xehanort removed from him... remember back in Secret Weapon where he's resisting Saïx and Saïx tells him to, and I quote, "_Sleep_"? With the capitalization? That would be why!  
I did have to do some minor scrambling after KH3 to incorporate the actual reason for what Saïx and Axel were trying to do back in the Organization; unfortunately I had already stated that Lea had no idea what the fuck Saïx was on about in Land of Oblivion, and that they were kidnapped to be used as test subjects (as opposed to joining of their own free will) in To Bring You Back. So I went with this minor alteration.  
As for Girl X... I'm gonna head off the speculation here. Regardless of what canon does, I'm following the theory that it's Skuld from KHUx. Suffice to say I have plans.  
And before you get mad at me about Lea and Isa, I'd like you to remember three things: First, Lea is entirely capable of jumping to wrong conclusions. Second, I don't like writing unhappy endings. Third, this AU isn't over yet by a long shot.  
Speaking of that, we've finished a fic and it's time to talk about the next one! It's not done yet! ...and quite honestly, it probably won't be done in two weeks' time, either. I have 8 of 14 chapters done as of this writing. As such, the next fic will be going up "when it's done". I'm going to try to hit the two week deadline, but my life has gotten a bit busier than it used to be over the past month, so I wouldn't hold my breath. Trust me, when it is done, you'll be the first to know.  
On another note that's completely unrelated to why the fic isn't done, I finished Final Fantasy 9 last weekend! (No, seriously, it actually is completely unrelated. I'd already been slowly playing it for months beforehand). It's a good game! ...I still kind of liked 8 more! ...and 13 still hasn't been dethroned as my favourite! But it was fantastic, and I think I actually got more out of it having played all the FF games that came before it.  
I think that's about it! <strike>If you want me to make you cry _more_, I did [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20723954) last weekend as well, if you missed it.</strike>  
Until next time! ...whenever that ends up being!


End file.
